The challenges of creating actionable knowledge: an action research perspective

Academia has a critical role in developing new knowledge which construction industry practitioners need to envision, undertake and sustain successful innovation. The new knowledge produced by academia, however, often does not satisfy the needs of practitioners. This unsatisfactory state of affairs is frequently taken to be the consequence of the cultural, motivational and operational differences between the two communities. Actionable knowledge is presented as a useful concept which can fuse the expectations, contributions and outputs of academia and practitioners. Within this context, action research is argued to be an appropriate methodology to develop successful actionable knowledge. Results from an action research project are given which provide researchers and practitioners greater understanding of the key factors that shape the degree to which action research produces actionable knowledge: change focus, collaboration capabilities and systematic process. The criteria intrinsic to Mode 2 research (Gibbons et al., 1994 Gibbons, M., Limoges, C., Nowotny, H., Schwartz, S., Scott, P. and Trow, M. 1994. The New Production of Knowledge: The Dynamics of Science and Research in Contemporary Societies, London: Sage.  [Google Scholar]) are demonstrated to have utility in evidencing actionable knowledge. The implication for policy is that there is a need to develop and use appropriate actionable knowledge frameworks and measures to design funding calls, and to evaluate research proposals and outputs.     

Editing the African city: reading colonial planning in Africa from a comparative perspective

In order to understand the complexity of the colonial city in Africa, this article suggests a comparative study on two levels, corresponding with two important phenomena in the planning process of African cities. The first level can be described as the diffusion of planning models to the colonies, and the second as the actual implementation of these planning models on the colonial terrain. Each level requires different scales of research and frames of analysis. They are particularly valuable when examined together.     

Mass housing

Professor Vir Handa's abiding interest in low‐cost housing for the lower‐income earners is demonstrated in his paper from the University of Waterloo, Ontario. He draws experience from time spent at the Building Research Institute, Roorkee, under the United Nations TOKTEN Programme and illustrates his paper with pictures from Trinidad, where he is an External Examiner at the University of the West Indies. He argues that although shelter communities are being built without any government help and without any awareness of any codes and standards, the job of the expert should be to determine new affordable code requirements.     

现代工科院校桥梁工程课程多元化教学方式探讨

桥梁工程课程是工科院校土木工程专业道桥方向一门重要的专业课程.文章在探讨该课程的特点、教学现状、影响因素的基础上,结合现代化教学手段和丰富的网络资源,提出了扩展式、参与式、讨论式等多元化的教学方式,以激发学生学习的积极性和参与性,提高桥梁工程课程教学效果.     

环境岩土工程课程教学研究与实践

环境岩土工程课程作为本科高年级选修课,涉及岩土、环境、卫生工程以及土壤学等多个领域,是一门新兴的综合性交叉学科。结合卓越工程师培养计划以及环境岩土工程课程特点,从理论教学、实验教学以及实践环节等方面对该课程教学内容及教学模式进行探索与改革,旨在引导学生主动学习,掌握环境岩土工程课程知识,提高学生运用专业知识分析问题、解决问题的工程实践能力和创新能力,将卓越工程师培养目标落到实处。     

建筑环境测试技术研究性教学探索与实践

为培养学生的创新意识和创新能力,针对建筑环境测试技术课程的特点及建筑环境与设备专业对人才培养的需要,从优化课程教学体系及教学内容,基于思维导图法和问题引导法设计研究性教学方案;强化实验教学环节,将实验教学分为基本教学实验、开放实验和课题创新实验三个层次;建立研究性辅助教学网站等方面.从目前实施情况看,研究性教学调动了学生的学习积极性,拓宽了学生的知识面,学生的创新能力和实践能力明显提高.     

基于工程项目的土建类多专业协同毕业设计模式的探索与实践

针对目前高校土建类专业毕业设计大多为各专业单独实施、缺乏多专业配合的现状,文章提出了基于工程项目的土建类多专业协同毕业设计模式,采取组建工程项目所涵盖的多专业毕业设计团队、搭建设计平台、创建协调评价考核体系等方法,培养毕业生的整体工程意识。从实施的效果来看,学生参与的积极性非常高,知识面得到进一步拓展,工程设计能力有了明显提高。     

纪录片在桥涵水文课程教学中的应用探索

桥涵水文课是土木工程类专业的一门重要专业基础课,起着连接前期基础理论课和后续专业课的关键作用。本文探索将视频资料中的一类——纪录片引入桥涵水文课堂教学中,通过启发式引导学生思考和学习。教学效果表明,纪录片教学不仅能够调动学生的学习积极性,拓展其视野和分析问题的角度,同时还可以培养学生的社会责任感和爱国情操,是一种很好的课堂教学补充方式。但同时这种方式也存在一定的局限性,需进一步的完善和提高。     

城市规划专业本科生科研能力培养机制研究

文章通过分析美国和中国本科生科研状况,指出要从组织管理和培养模式上创造本科科研的基础条件,城市规划专业本科科研能力培养需要开设与科研相关的课程,不断完善知识结构,倡导教师研究性教学,提高其科研能力,鼓励学生主动参与科研训练活动.     

将科研活动融入混凝土结构设计原理课程教学的实践探讨

文章以土木工程专业主干课——混凝土结构设计原理课程教学与科研项目研究的结合为例,探讨将科研活动融入课程教学实践,以增强学生的学习兴趣,达到培养学生科研能力、实践能力、创新能力的教学目标。