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Die größte Herausforderung politischer Systeme liegt in ihrer Fähigkeit, den inneren sozialen Frieden zu bewahren. Anhand historischer Beispiele zeigt Jürgen Neyer, dass es in der europäischen Geschichte ein wiederkehrendes Muster sozialer Konflikte, übermäßiger Machtkonzentrationen und politischen Verfalls gibt – und dass die Europäische Union auf dem besten Weg ist, dieses Muster zu wiederholen. Mit einer Mischung aus theoretischen Reflexionen, historischen Darlegungen und aktuellen politischen Analysen weisen seine Rekonstruktionen einen Weg zu einem europäischen Neustart.Die größte Herausforderung politischer Systeme liegt in ihrer Fähigkeit, den inneren sozialen Frieden zu bewahren. Anhand historischer Beispiele zeigt Jürgen Neyer, dass es in der europäischen Geschichte ein wiederkehrendes Muster sozialer Konflikte, übermäßiger Machtkonzentrationen und politischen Verfalls gibt – und dass die Europäische Union auf dem besten Weg ist, dieses Muster zu wiederholen. Mit einer Mischung aus theoretischen Reflexionen, historischen Darlegungen und aktuellen politischen Analysen weisen seine Rekonstruktionen einen Weg zu einem europäischen Neustart.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are under pressure to provide evidence of student success. In addition to traditional performance indicators such as GPA, grades, and rates of retention, graduation and employment, stakeholders also required institutions to provide evidence of institutional learning outcomes (ILOs). ILOs encompass the knowledge and skills that all students regardless of disciplines from a specific university are expected to demonstrate upon their graduation. This case study examines a complete internal quality assurance (IQA) cycle from a U.S. comprehensive university, including the adaptation of national authentic assessment measures, the use of technology in data analysis, the best practices to communicate assessment results to multiple internal stakeholders to facilitate leadership decision-making, the challenges encountered, and the improvement plans to sustain the procedure. Researchers also make recommendations to Vietnam HEIs that want to adopt IQA of ILOs for both quality improvement and accountability purposes.

The city is both a carrier and a subject of innovation. Based on the triple helix theory of industry–university research and the theory of spatial correlation, this study constructs a collaborative innovation framework both within the cities and between cities, and uses a network data envelopment analysis (DEA) model and spatial econometric model to measure and analyze the collaborative innovation efficiency in 75 innovative cities in China. The results show that collaborative innovation efficiency within cities is on the rise, and the efficiency of “research to production” is significantly higher than that of “learning to research.” Industrial structure and foreign factors have inhibited the efficiency improvements, and infrastructure and living standards have different promoting effects on different stages of efficiency. Between cities, capital flows have obvious spillover effects, which promote the efficiency of innovation networks, while the long-term characteristics of institutional learning have a near-term negative impact.

Even after 13 months, our world is still battling with global pandemic COVID-19. The pandemic has already infected more than one hundred and three million people, killing about two and a quarter million of them. Recently, several vaccines to inoculate people against the ongoing pandemic have been approved. People in most of the countries are being injected with these vaccines. While the world awaits for the outcome of the ongoing vaccinations, a more aggressive strain of coronavirus is killing many people in several countries, including the UK, the USA, Netherland, South Africa, and Australia. The ongoing pandemic has severely affected almost all aspects of our lives; education being one of them. As a result, majority of students in the world have completely lost access to the traditional way of institutional learning, while others have suffered in different ways and to a lesser degree. Many universities, colleges, and schools were closed during the initial pandemic lockdown during March-May, 2020. Luckily, some higher education institutions were better equipped to switch over to online teaching, either using a Learning Management System (LMS) or use some other online tools to connect with their students. With the help of surveys of students and teachers from several countries, this article aims to analyze the damage caused to the education sector by the pandemic at the global level. Guided by our literature review, and analysis of responses to our two surveys, we also provide a framework for a national education system, which could withstand future global crises like the one created by the COVID-19, and ensure continuity of education to all, especially the poor sections of the society.

Book review of RODRIGUES, Fabiana Alves. Lava Jato: aprendizado institucional e ação estratégica na Justiça. São Paulo: Editora WMF Martins Fontes, 2020. 280 p. Resenha de RODRIGUES, Fabiana Alves. Lava Jato: aprendizado institucional e ação estratégica na Justiça. São Paulo: Editora WMF Martins Fontes, 2020. 280 p.

The current article builds on complexity theory and offers a new perspective on EU actorness in external policies. It does so by looking at the EU as a complex adaptive system and by adding new instances to previous analyses on EU agency. More concretely, the article critically assesses the idea that the EU becomes a policy interpreter when external actors start to interact following new policy practices. This entails examining how external actors enable EU institutional learning, and, through this, new forms of EU actorness. The argument is illustrated by using the case of triangular cooperation as a recent policy practice helping the EU to fulfil its commitments to aid effectiveness.

Knowledge production and its possibilities and pitfalls in North-South research partnerships have gained increasing attention. The previous literature has identified certain pervasive challenges, and suggested a variety of ways to change partnerships, ranging from improvement of current collaboration activities to fundamental transformation of the hegemonic Eurocentric criteria for knowledge. Against this backdrop, we ask what kinds of learning can take place in research partnerships. We draw from two sources – an institutional approach and a classical categorization of learning proposed by Gregory Bateson – to develop a heuristic for analyzing institutional learning in North-South research partnerships. Moreover, based on previous empirical studies and our own experience with academic collaboration between Finnish and Tanzanian scholars, we reflect on the ways in which learning in its different forms shows in partnership practices that need to deal with different, intertwined institutional fields. peerReviewed

This paper analyses challenges and enablers for integrating a transboundary land-sea interaction (LSI) perspective into marine spatial planning (MSP) practice as experienced in the Baltic Sea Region. Collaborative research results from the Pan Baltic Scope project indicate that LSI remains an amorphous concept, particularly within a transboundary MSP context. Difficulty lies in bridging planning practices across land and sea and between varying uses, administrative settings and governance functions. Addressing LSI requires capacity, time, resources, awareness, reflection, and forums for collaborative learning across sectors and governance levels.

Motivation The article shows that the measurement of SDG attainment remains vague and incomplete and argues that participation‐based and inclusive monitoring must be an integral part of managing the SDG implementation process. Purpose Countries are supposed to review their progress of SDG implementation every four years, but the method of reviewing is left open. In addition, and even more urgent is the need to improve on the inadequate definition of monitoring methods that countries are supposed to deploy. Approach and methods The article reviews the various options currently available to conduct the four‐year review and the methods of on‐going SDG monitoring. Findings The analysis shows that the SDG monitoring methods have not yet been defined, leaving stakeholders (governments, business and civil society) without appropriate guidance. Policy implications The authors propose two types of monitoring: micro‐monitoring and macro‐monitoring, both of which are necessary to ensure effective and efficient monitoring in achieving process accountability, institutional learning, and innovation.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of knowledge acquisition, application and its utilisation influences to enhance the institutional learning in Pakistan. As numerous Pakistani managers hesitant for the acquisition of technology-based knowledge management, its application and after that its utilization in their organizations (Saeed, Tayyab, Anis-Ul-Haque, Ahmad, & Chaudhry, 2010). In this quantitative study 418, close-ended structured questionnaires were distributed and 245 questionnaires were finalized for reliable primary data. The results of the current study showed that knowledge acquisition and utilization have a positive significant impact on institutional learning while knowledge application has a non-significant impact on institutional learning. In the light of results, it is being deduced that their need to devise strategies and methods so that, acquired knowledge could be applied in the institutions and could be utilised by the students and faculty members. In this way, new doors of knowledge would be open for institutional learning.

espanolEl proposito del articulo es dilucidar cuales han sido los instrumentos de coordinacion de la politica social en Mexico en materia alimentaria desde el enfoque de la transferencia de politicas publicas. Para el cumplimiento de tal proposito, se utilizo el analisis documental sobre la Cruzada Nacional contra el Hambre en fuentes primarias y secundarias; ademas, se empleo la perspectiva de la transferencia de politicas publicas y el analisis institucional. Como resultado, se asienta que no es clara la manera en que esta Cruzada contribuyo a la resolucion de un problema social como el hambre, ni es posible identificar su aportacion en otros campos. La ausencia de una politica alimentaria da por resultado el diseno de intervenciones fragmentadas y parciales, definidas debilmente. Se estudia el diseno y la implementacion de la Cruzada Nacional contra el Hambre y el programa brasileno Fome Zero como mecanismos de adaptacion y aprendizaje institucional. En conclusion, se establece que hay inconsistencias en la interpretacion y en la expresion del problema que se busca resolver con respecto del origen de la politica y el sistema EnglishThis paper aims to elucidate the instruments used to coordinate social policy in Mexico in the food sector from the perspective of public policy transfer. In order to achieve this, documentary analysis of the National Crusade against Hunger was used in primary and secondary sources; in addition, the perspective of public policy transfer and institutional analysis was used. As a result, it is not clear how this Crusade contributed to the resolution of a social problem such as hunger, nor is it possible to identify its contribution in other fields. The absence of a food policy results in the design of fragmented and partial interventions, weakly defined. The design and implementation of the National Crusade against Hunger and the Brazilian Fome Zero program are studied as mechanisms for adaptation and institutional learning. In conclusion, it is established that there are inconsistencies in the interpretation and expression of the problem to be solved with respect to the origin of the policy and the system

L’Inspection Panel della Banca Mondiale è stato il primo meccanismo indipendente (IAM) finalizzato a ricevere denunce da parte di persone che lamentavano un danno derivante dalla potenziale mancanza di sostegno alle politiche e alle procedure delle istituzioni finanziarie internazionali. Dal 1993 il Panel ha trattato denunce riguardanti i progetti della Banca Mondiale su richiesta delle comunità interessate e ha contribuito a porre rimedio ai relativi danni. L’articolo descrive dettagliatamente questi risultati, con particolare riguardo all’ “apprendimento istituzionale”, soffermandosi inoltre sulla collana Emerging Lessons Series del Panel stesso, una serie di pubblicazioni recenti che riassumono le esperienze derivanti da casi relativi a: reinsediamento involontario, popolazioni indigene, valutazione ambientale, consultazione e divulgazione. L’articolo si conclude con una discussione dei recenti miglioramenti apportati all’attività del Panel, sottolineando il suo ruolo nel promuovere comportamenti responsabili attraverso le procedure operative adottate e il successivo “apprendimento istituzionale”.

In this chapter, the authors explore the unintentional but striking synergies that exist between design thinking and the curricular approach to learning. Specifically, the authors explore how the define step of design thinking can be applied to the crucial step of defining ubiquitous institutional learning aims to guide the work of educators who work outside the classroom. By applying concepts of design thinking to the curricular approach, the authors reinforce the importance of collaborations and innovation as key aspects when defining both the desired learning outcomes and the environments within which this learning will occur. The chapter concludes with an acknowledgement of the challenges faced by educators applying concepts of both the curricular approach and design thinking.

A difusão e a proliferação do Orçamento Participativo (OP) pelos diferentes países e continentes do mundo vêm suscitando o enfrentamento de diversos desafios relacionados à governança democrática, como o compartilhamento do poder político; a promoção de inclusão política; e o aprendizado social e institucional. Diante disso, o artigo visa analisar dois casos distintos de Orçamentos Participativos (OPs) – Araraquara-SP (Brasil) e Cascais (Portugal) – observando em que medida estão enfrentando esses e outros desafios a partir de dimensões como a competência decisória, os recursos, as regras institucionais, os espaços de participação, o uso de tecnologias digitais, o número e o perfil dos participantes, as medidas voltadas para o aprendizado, e a sua inserção em um sistema mais amplo de participação. As diferenças encontradas entre os dois casos estão relacionadas aos respectivos contextos políticos e sociais e às diferentes trajetórias e propósitos dos OPs nos dois países.

International audience; Like other Latin American countries, Chile depends heavily on the activity of small and medium-sized companies to sustain some macro and microeconomic indicators. In particular, one of the productive development agencies that has taken a leading role in this objective is the Technical Cooperation Service (SERCOTEC). This institution has defined a set of support programs in different areas in order to meet the needs of this business segment. In this context, the article provides an overview of institutional learning, lessons learned, and economic impacts obtained by the Business Development Centers program, describing the central role of this innovative public policy that has responded actively and efficiently to the growth of the ventures and companies assisted between the years 2015-2019.; Comme d'autres pays d'Amérique latine, le Chili dépend fortement de l'activité des petites et moyennes entreprises pour maintenir certains indicateurs macro et microéconomiques. En particulier, l'une des agences de développement productif qui a joué un rôle de premier plan dans cet objectif est le Service de coopération technique (SERCOTEC). Cette institution a défini un ensemble de programmes de soutien dans différents domaines afin de répondre aux besoins de ce segment d'entreprises. Dans ce contexte, l'article donne un aperçu de l'apprentissage institutionnel, des leçons apprises et des impacts économiques obtenus par le programme des Centres de développement des entreprises, en décrivant le rôle central de cette politique publique innovante qui a répondu activement et efficacement à la croissance des entreprises et des sociétés aidées entre les années 2015-2019.

As the Irish financial crisis of 2008 unfolded, public deliberation focused on the treatment of Ireland’s ‘bailed out’ financial institutions and the social and economic impact of austerity. Meanwhile, Ireland’s regulatory actors sought to update a regulatory framework to better ‘protect’ citizens facing financial hardship and escalating mortgage arrears. Using Ireland’s financial consumer protection regulations from 2004 to 2017 as an empirical source, this thesis examines the underlying nature of Ireland’s pre-crisis regulations, their evolution on foot of the crisis, and the manner in which regulatory and industry actors responded to Irish civil society debate regarding the role and effect of regulations. A theoretical framework using concepts of power, systems theory, neo-institutional theory, and financialisation studies is developed. This highlights neoliberal justifications underlying regulatory approaches that seek to empower citizens (as consumers) and trust industry (to self-regulate), while offering insight as to how regulatory and industry actors avoid responsibility for risks posed and revealed to citizens as crises unfold. The thesis applies thematic coding and frame analysis research methods to financial consumer protection codes and related publications. The research is supported by semi-structured interviews with civil society actors involved with regulatory processes and in assisting people in financial difficulty. By so doing, the thesis highlights the normative foundations of Ireland’s regulatory approach, locating this within the context of Ireland’s financialisation story. The thesis finds that such an approach responsibilises citizens availing of financial products (and debt) to meet their social needs – protecting the act of consuming, not citizens – while simultaneously framing risk and deflecting responsibility away from regulatory and industry actors. The financial crisis compelled debate within Irish civil society regarding the nature and effect of power operating within Ireland’s regulatory approach. However, the thesis finds that, through repeated framing of risk (posed to market-focused ‘solutions’ to the crisis) Ireland’s financial services industry dictated the terms of regulatory responses to the crisis, avoiding meaningful acceptance of responsibility and accountability as articulated within Irish civil society.

The shift toward knowledge work, artificial intelligence, digitalization, and robotics will definitely disrupt our classical ways of learning. Learning will be “lifelong” and “lifewide,” which comprises learning in institutions, families, communities, and workplaces. This chapter, therefore, will discuss the state of the art of adult learning in the fourth decade of the twenty-first century. “Learning everywhere” by choosing the time, place, media, and content that best meets the learners’ goals, intentions, and wishes have become a reality in 2030. This is supported by on-demand (micro)learning, often supported by virtual reality applications. “Mass-personalization” of content and delivery modes address and engage learners individually and via learning communities. In 2030, self-directed and social learning has gained in importance over standardized institutional learning programs. Synchronizing human and machine learning, however, is still a problem to be solved.

The paper focuses on the challenges faced by planners committed to quality of life in ‘inner areas’ (i.e. distant from major urban poles and often affected by the decline of population, public services, economic performances, and/or ecological integrity). It presents research findings developed by a long-term action-research partnership between planning researchers at the University of Catania and the ‘Simeto Valley’ community, in Sicily (Italy). These findings show that an important developmental role can be played by formalized collaborative relationships between Institutions and the active part of their constituency, but only under the condition of a clear ‘enabling’ strategy not only targeting citizens but also institutions.

Since 1990s, vocational education, especially the higher vocational education, has become more important in the industrialized societies. Furthermore, the higher vocational education has been considered as a policy tool to reduce the unemployment rate. The decision-maker of higher education must balanced the various needs in the program design according to the targeting and positioning of the university. This paper proposed an higher vocational education experiment, transregional institutional learning between the NingXia Polytechnic in NingXia and the Tajen University in Taiwan. Two groups of students are selected to the one-semester learning program in Taiwan. In this semester, these student can realize and experience the practical and industry-oriented learning activities in Taiwan higher vocational education. In addition, the teachers of NingXia Polytechnic joint the industry-university collaborative project in the Tajen university. This collaboration among teachers has still continued after 2018. These teachers of NingXia Polytechnic can clearly realize and learn the industry-university collaborative model in Taiwan higher vocational education.

In recent decades, learning methods have evolved, adapted, and reinvented. With these changes, the curriculum has become increasingly complex and there is an opportunity for technology to offer a helping hand in providing superior educational experiences. In this paper, we highlight the need for a recommender system within the Montessori kindergartens while exploring the main techniques of the recommender systems used in large environments such as YouTube, LinkedIn, or Amazon. Our ultimate goal is to obtain a recommender system—similar to an intelligent assistant—that helps teachers in planning learning paths and guides students in making progress.

Introducción. La relación entre lo que el estudiante aprende y lo que se le evalúa ha sido un tema de relevancia en la educación superior y un tema de investigación que ha llamado la atención en programas del área de la salud, especialmente en medicina. Objetivos. El objetivo de este estudio fue diseñar y validar un instrumento que permitiera conocer y describir las estrategias utilizadas por los docentes del programa de Medicina de la Universidad El Bosque, ubicada en Bogotá, Colombia, la cual consolida su modelo pedagógico de aprendizaje centrado en el estudiante a partir de los objetivos institucionales de aprendizaje, los cuales deben ser evaluados para verificar su consecución. Esto se hizo con el fin de evaluar el nivel de logro de las competencias de formación de los estudiantes. Métodos. Se identificaron dos categorías que debían conformar el instrumento: referentes curriculares y evaluación de la apropiación. Posterior-mente se describió el nivel de validez de contenido por medio del acuerdo de jueces a partir del modelo de Lawshe modificado por Tristán y Molgado. Resultados. Los resultados evidenciaron que el instrumento diseñado permite medir de forma válida las categorías y subcategorías planteadas y que los ítems aportan información valiosa sobre cada una de ellas. Esta herramienta también puede ser usada para fines de investigación educativa realizando los ajustes pertinentes de acuerdo con las particularidades propias de la naturaleza de la institución de educación, del programa y de los objetivos de investigación. Conclusiones. Este instrumento puede ser usado para evaluar el nivel de logro de las competencias de formación de los estudiantes y para fines de investigación educativa Backgound: The relation between what students learn and what is evaluated has been a relevant issue in higher education, and a research topic that has caught health’s programs attention, especially in medicine. Objectives: The objective of this study was to design and validate an instrument that would allow to know and des-cribe the strategies used by Medicine professors from El Bosque University, in Bogotá, Colombia, which strengthens its pe¬dagogical model of student centered learning based on the Institutional Learning Objectives (OIA), which must be evaluated to verify their achievement. This was done to evaluate the level of achievement of the students’ training competences. Methods: It was identified two categories that should make up the instrument: curricular references and evaluation of appropriation. Subsequently the level of content validity was described thought judges’ agreement based on the Lawshe model with modifications from Tristán y Molgado.Results: The results showed that the instrument designed allows measuring the categories and subcategories pro-posed and that the items provide valuable information about each of them. The developed test can be used for educational re¬search purposes making the appropriate adjustments, according to the particular characteristics of the educational institution, the program and the research objectives. Conclusions: The instrument can be used for evaluation of achievement of the students’ training competences and for educational research

Quantifying fireline effectiveness (FLE) is essential to evaluate the efficiency of large wildfire management strategies to foster institutional learning and improvement in fire management organizations. FLE performance metrics for incident-level evaluation have been developed and applied to a small set of wildfires, but there is a need to understand how widely they vary across incidents to progress towards targets or standards for performance evaluation. Recent efforts to archive spatially explicit fireline records from large wildfires facilitate the application of these metrics to a broad sample of wildfires in different environments. We evaluated fireline outcomes (burned over, held, not engaged) and analyzed incident-scale FLE for 33 large wildfires in the western USA from the 2017 and 2018 fire seasons. FLE performance metrics varied widely across wildfires and often aligned with factors that influence suppression strategy. We propose a performance evaluation framework based on both the held to engaged fireline ratio and the total fireline to perimeter ratio. These two metrics capture whether fireline was placed in locations with high probability of engaging with the wildfire and holding and the relative level of investment in containment compared to wildfire growth. We also identify future research directions to improve understanding of decision quality in a risk-based framework.

This chapter focuses on international humanitarian law (IHL) and peace operations: looking at the Common Article 1 responsibility to ‘ensure respect’ for IHL in the United Nations peacekeeping context. Both civilian and military dimensions are discussed, and existing mechanisms are noted. The importance of cross-sectoral collaboration and embedding IHL in policy, training and institutional learning structures are evident. The chapter suggests a number of opportunities to enhance understanding of, and compliance, with IHL. In particular it is clear that lessons can be drawn from international human rights law policies incorporated into UN Peacekeeping practice.

Since 9/11, the United States has achieved notable gains against al Qaeda, and also Islamic State (IS), all while avoiding another mass-casualty attack at home. Yet, institutionally, culturally, an...

During the World Climate Conference-3, Capacity Development has been acknowledged as a transversal component underpinning all the other Pillars of the Global Framework for Climate Services. Within the Mediterranean basin, the interest of climate services based on seasonal climate forecasts is rising because they provide an opportunity for developing a proactive approach towards water management. In 2014, the Regional Training Center (RTC) in Italy, in agreement with World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and member countries of Region I and VI, identified seasonal climate forecasts as a strategic subject of capacity development for the Mediterranean Region. Following design-based research methods, this paper presents the evolution of the training approaches adopted, from classroom lessons to a blend of practical and theoretical classroom and distance learning. This evolution, as well as the rising satisfaction of trainees' expectations encouraged WMO and the RTC to widen the spectrum of beneficiaries and to make the resulting course materials available for other regions and RTCs as a course package. The course package provides essential guidelines to facilitate adoption and adaptation of the course by different institutions and instructors, including those in other WMO Regions, based on regional or institutional learning needs and standards, while also serving the needs of individual learners.

The quality of rural extension and advisory services is a crucial element in fostering innovation and rural development. This article aims to clarify the concept of quality of rural extension and to develop a preliminary theoretical framework. An ample literature review was conducted in search of articles on service quality and quality of rural extension and advisory services. The first part presents the main results of the literature search on quality of extension services. The definition of quality is not universal. Quality cannot be conceptualized only as farmers' satisfaction or as extension results. It has different dimensions or components and stakeholders have different points of view about it. The second part of this article discusses the definition of service quality and the concept of Total Quality Management and underlines that the concept of quality varies according to industry types or contexts and is the result of complex negotiation among different stakeholders. Finally, a comprehensive theoretical framework for addressing quality of rural extension and advisory services is presented that differentiates among enablers that limit or facilitate the delivery of quality rural extension and advisory services, the production and delivery processes, and results obtained. Here, the key role played by quality self-assessment and organizational learning is highlighted. RESUMEN La calidad de los servicios de extensión rural y asesoramiento técnico es fundamental para impulsar procesos de innovación y desarrollo. Este artículo busca clarificar el concepto de calidad de la extensión rural y desarrollar un marco teórico preliminar. Se realizó una amplia revisión bibliográfica sobre la calidad de los servicios y de la extensión rural. La primera parte presenta los principales resultados de la revisión sobre calidad de la extensión: su definición no es universal, no puede ser conceptualizada únicamente ni como satisfacción de los productores ni como resultados de extensión, posee diferentes dimensiones o componentes, y los actores tienen diferentes visiones sobre ella. La segunda parte discute la definición de calidad de servicios y el concepto de Gestión Total de la Calidad y destaca que el concepto de calidad varía según el contexto y el sector productivo, siendo el resultado de complejos procesos de negociación entre diferentes actores. Finalmente se propone un marco teórico completo para abordar la calidad de los servicios de extensión, el cual diferencia entre facilitadores que hacen posible o que limitan la prestación de un servicio de calidad, el proceso mismo de producción y prestación del servicio, y los resultados obtenidos. Se destaca el rol clave que juegan la autoevaluación de la calidad y el aprendizaje organizacional.

Objective Custom-made fenestrated aortic endografts allow exclusion of pararenal aortic aneurysms while maintaining blood flow to aortic branches. Meticulous device planning and precise deployment of the main body are essential to allow successful cannulation of the fenestrations. This study investigates whether a learning curve can be observed with more reliable cannulation and connection of fenestrations over time at a single department of vascular and endovascular surgery with multiple surgeons trained to use the device. Methods A retrospective analysis of data from all patients undergoing primary fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair during the study period was performed. Outcome measures included case volume and average number of fenestrations over time, average fluoroscopy dose area product per calendar year and primary unconnected fenestration and 30-day mortality rates. Results Between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2016, 89 patients with no history of endovascular aneurysm repair underwent fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair at our institution. The number of fenestrations per case increased over time, averaging 2.6 in 2013 and 3.3 in 2016. Primary unconnected fenestration and 30-day mortality rates were 5.6%. Primary-assisted technical success was 93.3%, secondary-assisted technical success was 94.4%. Fluoroscopy dose area product declined over the study period. Thirty-day mortality and primary unconnected fenestration rates did not significantly change over the study period. Conclusion Albeit the reduction in lethal complications and primary technical success rates were not statistically significant, a lower percentage of unconnected fenestrations and 30-day mortality per calendar year were observed over time. At the same time, an increasing complexity of performed cases, as reflected by an increasing number of fenestrations per case, was observed. Complications associated with this complex endovascular procedure are potentially lethal and remain an unfortunate reality and may not be entirely dependent on overcoming a learning curve. A higher volume of cases performed over the study period and a reduction in fluoroscopy use can be considered a representation of the institutional development and learning curve for the Anaconda fenestrated endograft at a department with prior complex endovascular aortic repair experience, but due to limitations of the current retrospective observation, deserve further consideration in future trials, ideally designed in a prospective fashion.

The purpose of this study was to examine the outcomes of information literacy instruction for the Design first year students at the Temasek Polytechnic Library. Also of interest was whether or not the librarian was being seen as easily approachable, and if the students were deeming the lessons to be worthwhile. A participant action research approach was used, with the data being collected from multiple choice tests delivered via the institutional learning management system, group exercises, and a diagnostic assessment that was delivered before the workshops. It was found that the students did see the librarian as someone who was eminently approachable, and the majority of them found the lessons to be of value. It was concluded that the use of a diagnostic tool can be very useful in highlighting the gaps in students' knowledge, and that it would be beneficial to use it for all information literacy instruction at TP. Suggested future research could include a study of how much the students retain of IL skills into their third year of study.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the need for academic libraries to demonstrate and increase their impact of student learning and success. It highlights the data problems present in existing library value correlation research and suggests a pathway to surmounting existing data obstacles. The paper advocates the integration of libraries into institutional learning analytics systems to gain access to more granular student learning and success data. It also suggests using library-infused learning analytics data to discover and act upon new linkages that may reveal library value in an institutional context. Design/methodology/approach The paper describes a pattern pervasive in existing academic library value correlation research and identifies major data obstacles to future research in this vein. The paper advocates learning analytics as one route to access more usable and revealing data. It also acknowledges several challenges to the suggested approach. Findings This paper describes learning analytics as it may apply to and support correlation research on academic library value. While this paper advocates exploring the integration of library data and institutional data via learning analytics initiatives, it also describes four challenges to this approach including librarian concerns related to the use of individual level data, the tension between claims of correlation and causation in library value research, the need to develop interoperability standards for library data and organizational readiness and learning analytics maturity issues. Originality/value This paper outlines a path forward for academic library value research that may otherwise be stymied by existing data difficulties.

This article uses the concept of ‘institutional learning’ to make a legal case for a stronger wage policy at the EMU level. This article takes the view that an inherent asymmetry in the EMU, namely the presence of a unified monetary policy without a commensurate coordination of wage-setting mechanisms, contributed to the development of the crisis. The latent consequences of this flaw—diverging (wage) growth and cost competitiveness—were brought into full view when the global financial crisis struck. A unique wage-coordination process has already become institutionalised at the EU level through the European Semester: wage and spending cuts supplant the role of currency depreciation as a means of addressing external economic shocks and competitiveness gaps. We argue that the new wage coordination process constitutes a step in the right direction insofar as the EU has learned from its mistake, namely creating a currency union without any transnational wage determination mechanism. However, this paper makes a legal and institutional case for a more reflexive and solidaristic approach to wage coordination. In order to do so, we take the economic view that stronger EU labour coordination is not likely to diminish competitiveness. While market wisdom would seem to support the view that decentralised collective bargaining systems performs better, evidence suggests that solidaristic wage-setting offers a critical means of channelling economic policy into a model less narrowly focused on labour cost. Beyond the economic debate, there is a legal case to be made in favour of stronger wage bargaining that can reconcile the markets with labour law in the EMU. It is the role of lawyers to investigate possible legal avenues towards achieving a more appropriate solution that is compatible with the Treaty of Lisbon as well as with the goal of competitiveness. Our project does not advocate Treaty changes; instead we use the concept of ‘institutional layering/learning’ to reinforce already-existing reflexive approaches such as the Macroeconomic Dialogue (MED) in order to create a multi-level wage determination strategy that mediates a genuine facilitation process between the Commission, the European Central Bank and the unions.

This paper is a sociological and historical analysis of the Brazilian Administrative Council for Economic Defense - C.A.D.E. The main objective is to indicate that C.A.D.E. has become a reference for the development of the Brazilian System of Competition Defense due to institutional factors. I argue that a fundamental process of strengthening C.A.D.E.’s power was the institutional learning process incorporated at the structural level, which allowed the agency the ability to review its positions and constantly rebuild its structures and functions during different moments in Brazilian antitrust history. Besides the institutional learning, C.A.D.E. was also subject to different institutional influences over the past decades. A decisive moment was the 1990s when a national privatization program was carried out and the competitive protection system was articulated with regulated sectors and policies in Brazil. An important framework to understand these transformations are the systemic sociology of organizations and legal developmentalist literature. Both approaches – with different backgrounds – help to clarify that many institutions are derivative from previous ones, and that they are also embedded in certain operations related with society. In C.A.D.E.’s case, Brazil’s judiciary and executive branch played an important role in shaping the agency divisions and functions. The paper underscores four different moments of the agency: the Malaia law C.A.D.E.; the 1962 C.A.D.E. – a collegiate agency of the ministry of justice; the 1994 C.A.D.E. – an autonomous federal agency – and the new C.A.D.E. per the Antitrust Act. Finally, C.A.D.E.’s case confirms that the existence of previous institutions has become an indispensable assumption for their development in light of a continuous institutional learning process., University of Bologna Law Review, Vol 2, No 2 (2017)

China has become a key player in the development sector in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), not only due to trade but also because of the growing scope and visibility of its foreign direct investments (FDI). However, Chinese investments in the region are far from homogeneous, not only oscillating over time and space, but also varying across modes of incorporation into LAC economies. In the extractive industries, Chinese actors rely on a wide gamut of strategies to open up markets and to help ensure access to oil and minerals. This chapter breaks down the concept of FDI into three umbrella categories—greenfield projects, mergers and acquisitions, and joint ventures—to analyse how Chinese capital enters LAC extractive sectors. The chapter argues that, faced with a relatively unfamiliar landscape and new sources of uncertainty, Chinese companies tend to ‘test the water’ through mergers and acquisitions, as well as joint ventures, before delving into greenfield activities like direct mining or drilling. This cautious approach signals a degree of institutional learning on the part of Chinese stakeholders, as well as the desire to avoid charges of neo-colonialism, imposed dependency, and lax adherence to formal regulations.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the extent to which work-based learning could potentially improve education and training pathways in Australia. Design/methodology/approach The paper reviews education and training provision in Australia through a contextualisation of the Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) with work-based learning pedagogy to determine the extent to which it might contribute to improved outcomes for learners. Findings People seeking to advance their career aspirations can consider the application of work-based learning to support lifelong learning pathways through the AQF. Research limitations/implications There is a need for further longitudinal studies on the outcomes of work-based learning for organisations, individual learners and education and training institutions. Practical implications The application of effective WBL approaches has the potential to create a much larger flow of learners from experiential and vocational backgrounds into undergraduate programmes and onto higher education programmes using a consistent and effective pedagogy. Social implications By actively considering the opportunities for learning at work and through work learners, educators and business managers may recognise that there would be more demand for work-based learning. Originality/value This paper represents an initial action research study which examines the role WBL can provide for life-long learning.

Institutional learning outcomes indicate the knowledge and skills that all students regardless of disciplines from a specific university demonstrate. This paper shared experience from a case study to conduct assessment of institutional learning outcomes (general education program) from a U.S. comprehensive university. The paper discussed the achievements it has made for the past two year such as two-year assessment timeline to collect data, use of a national Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education (VALUE) rubric to assess students’ performance, the use of technology in data analysis, and the best practices to communicate assessment results to multiple stakeholders to facilitate the decision making; the challenges encountered such as technology, faculty interpretation of the VALUE rubric, the participation rate, infrastructure for faculty engagement and reliability of data collection; and improvement plans. Researcher also made some recommendations for Vietnam HEIs to implement the assessment process for both quality improvement and accountability purposes.

International organizations such as the United Nations, the World Bank, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the International Monetary Fund routinely organize cross-learning programs on specific topics for their member governments. Likewise, many national governments organize offers little theoretical or practical guidance on how best to organize such cross-learning activities. One fundamental question is whether to proceed on the basis of cohort- or task-oriented programs, where a cohort-based approach would emphasize shared, institutionalized learning over time amongst local governments with shared planning priorities. To assess this question, we use a case study comparing 286 cities and their avowed priorities for China's 11th and 12th Five-Year Plans. The evidence from our case study supports a task-rather than a cohort-oriented approach. Moreover, because of China's unique administrative structure, with an integrated approach entailing proactive national level guidance and directives, we conclude that for most other countries a cohort-oriented approach would be even less effective. The practical implication of these results is that a task-oriented approach to cross-learning is more advisable.

Every large organisation has to deal with institutional and professional learning, especially if it is responsible for the education and training of its own personnel. This paper presents the e-learning model, designed and developed in order to satisfy all potential educational needs in a life long learning perspective and to innovate the institutional learning in a modern working and operational environment within the Italian Army. This model is based on a long experience in the e-learning field gained through the years by the IT-Army Education and Training Command and School of Applied Military Studies - Turin with its Virtual Learning Centre and the University of Turin who work together for the education of the officers. The e-learning model for the Army was developed in a multifunctional way and human centered because the idea is to consider the personnel in both aspects as provider and consumer of educational services. For these reasons a net of several interconnected portals was built up, each of them with a specific goal, mainly based on MOODLE, the Learning Management System largely used by several universities, integrated with several tools. A specific attention was dedicated to define user friendly solutions in order to ease surfing the net and to be used by a wide range of potential users, where all categories of personnel are involved, like Officers, NCOs, Volunteers and civilian staff. In the paper a multidimensional analysis of the model is discussed with particular attention to three different main dimensions: pedagogical, users' perspective and technical.

BACKGROUND Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair with MitraClip is only approved for treatment of mitral regurgitation but is increasingly used to treat concomitant tricuspid regurgitation (TR) due to its common coexistence and association with poor outcomes. This study aimed to describe the learning curve associated with the challenge of off-label treatment of concomitant TR. METHODS This is a retrospective review of initial and consecutive patients who underwent combined edge-to-edge repair of mitral and tricuspid valves (TVs) at our institution from August 2017 to October 2019. RESULTS Repair of both valves with MitraClip was performed in 22 patients (median age 81.5 years, 32% female). Mean procedure time was 176 ± 47 min; mean fluoroscopy time was 65 ± 24 min. Procedure duration in the first tertile was significantly longer (223 ± 13 min) than in the third tertile (143 ± 23 min, p = .0003). Median number of total clips placed per case was 3; in 15 patients (68%), the anterior and septal leaflets of the TV were clipped. The average changes in mean right atrial (RA) and left atrial (LA) pressures were -1.7 ± 2.5 mmHg (p = .0080) and -3.2 ± 4.6 mmHg (p = .0045), respectively. The average changes in RA and LA V-wave heights were -3.3 ± 4.0 mmHg (p = .0009) and -8.1 ± 9.9 mmHg (p = .038), respectively. There was a significant trend toward decreasing residual TR over the course of the series (p = .046). At 30 days, survival was 100% and mean NYHA class decreased from 2.8 to 1.8 (p

Introduction The importance of improving the analysis of complaints about poor healthcare experiences is well recognised but often not addressed. The Healthcare Complaints Analysis Tool (HCAT) was developed to improve the extraction of data from formal complaints to facilitate monitoring and learning, but this has been predominantly applied in adult settings with less complex complaints. Our objective was to explore the utility of HCAT in a specialist paediatric hospital where the number of formal complaints is relatively small but often extremely complex. Methods Ten written complaints were retrospectively scored using HCAT. Each complaint was individually reviewed to assess whether or not the scoring framework was applicable and to identify any challenges with extracting the information. We also looked at the response provided by the organisation to the complainant. Results All elements of the HCAT scoring framework could be applied to the complaints. Communication (n=26;36%) and safety (n=13;18%) were the domains with the greatest number of problems and highest levels of severity and overall harm but in the domains of environment (n=2;3%) and respect and patient rights (n=4;6%) the number of problems was low. Scoring the responses as well as the complaints revealed instances where the response suggested more problems and higher levels of severity than initially identified by the complainant, as well as instances where a seemingly serious problem in a complaint was not supported by the evidence. On average it took 25 minutes to score each complaint and corresponding response. Conclusion It is feasible to use HCAT and the framework can be easily applied. Our use of HCAT for scoring the response is a novel application of HCAT which we believe will be important for institutional learning. Training now needs to be implemented, the inter-rater reliability of HCAT assessed and a system developed for ensuring timely organisational learning.

Retaining the quality of teachers and improving teacher education and professional development through professional learning communities (PLCs) has long been on the policy agenda of, among others, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the Framework for 21st Century Skills. This study explores and compares student-teachers’ use of PLCs in Danish teacher education institutions and how PLCs are shaped by institutional, organising themes. An ‘organising theme’ is conceptualised as a fundamental ‘idea’ of how – for instance institutional – everyday practices become organised; exploring how institutional organising themes are translated into educational practice in students’ PLCs makes it possible to understand how local moral worlds in teacher education institutions shape students’ communal work and professional development. Drawing on situated learning, social anthropology of institutions and the literature about PLCs, the professional narratives of three Danish student-teachers are compared. The findings suggest that professional development in PLCs takes place in the intersection between personal stories, situated learning in PLCs and institutional themes.

Learning and working are two significant social networks in preparing individuals for future life. An understanding of learning in the workplace can inform how we organize institutional learning in order to produce competent and relevant vocational education and training (VET) graduates for the world of work. This paper explores the existing collaborative activities in the masters in vocational pedagogy (MVP) study program at Kyambogo University in Uganda and their linkage with workplaces. Two research questions were posed. (1) What collaborative activities are there in the MVP program that allow for learning in vocational teacher training institutions (VTIs) and workplaces? 2) How is knowledge constructed amongst the participating actors? The questions were investigated through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with purposively sampled participants. An analysis of the documents from the MVP project, including program reports, collaborating stakeholders meeting minutes and students’ theses, was done. The findings revealed that field expeditions and action research (AR) projects were the key activities incorporated in the MVP program to support the back and forth learning from workplaces. Through interactions and sharing practices, these activities promoted learning by solving problems encountered at work and by doing real life tasks. We thank the NORHED- MVP project for supporting and funding this study.

Black Mountain College is remembered as an artistic utopian alternative to institutional learning. Its faculty and students included some of the most important creative thinkers of the 20th century. Its foundation was built on the philosophy of “learning by doing.” But what made Black Mountain such a dynamic educational environment? Today, the financial burden of higher education places a lasting strain on students that inhibits creative growth. Does the educational structure of the college system impede our learning? Black Mountain was a legendary educational experiment, which offers a model for contemporary art education.

Iowa Wesleyan University (IW) has historically struggled with both assessment and supporting online students. Newly-appointed librarians and an impending re-accreditation visit prompted an increase in involvement and presence with assessment. In an attempt to expand the library's influence on campus, librarians took on a nontraditional role in the institutional implementation of LiveText, an assessment software. Librarians at IW have played an active and integral role in not only the initial roll-out of this software, but also in training and continuing support for students and faculty. Because of its importance to institutional learning outcomes, information fluency (IF) is being recognized as a high-impact practice across disciplines, and based on the results of this case study, librarians will pursue the creation of a required online IF course for online learners.

Objectives We present our single-centre experience with the direct flow medical (DFM) trans-catheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) prosthesis addressing the impact of learning curve upon outcomes. Background The DFM has been recently introduced for TAVI. The prosthesis presents original design and implantation features. Methods Patients were divided into three groups according to the chronological implantation sequence that reflected technical skills acquisition of the entire team. Results Group I included the first 20 patients (early learning phase), group II the second 20 patients (proctoring to other members of the team), and group III the following 93 patients (technique consolidation). Differences in baseline and procedural variables were analysed. Nonparametric correlation and linear regression were used to identify changes according to institutional cumulative experience. There was a significant correlation between catheterisation time and institutional experience (rho = −0.4; p < 0.0001) confirmed at linear regression (beta = −0.2; p = 0.001; CI: −0.3 – −0.08). Moreover, there was lower rate of valve retrieval in group III (15% vs. 20% vs. 10%; p = 0.5). No intra-procedural mortality was reported and improved early safety (at 30 days) was observed (80% vs. 85% vs. 87.1; p = 0.7). At hospital discharge, valve haemodynamic performance was satisfactory with only mild regurgitation in 10% (I), 20% (II), and 9.7% (III) (p = 0.8). Conclusions DFM adequate sizing and implantation can be achieved after the early learning phases. A significant reduction in catheterisation time is reported after the first 20 patients. Results remain satisfactory during the proctoring and technical consolidation phase.