ABSTRACT
Regarding the COVID-19 situation, the purpose of this study was to compare the efficiency and outcomes of information technology (IT) project implementation in the office versus in a remote environment with respect to factors such as productivity, effective teamwork, enjoyment of work, stress and pressure management, and opinions on working styles. The focus was mainly on the role of team members in the engineering mindset. Data was collected through a survey of IT project performance from team members. The questionnaire, which was developed for this study, included 105 respondents and was divided into three parts: 1) general information, 2) project performance results, and 3) engineering mindset concept. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The results of the study indicated that there are significant differences in outcomes between project managers and other team members (such as developers, business analysts, and quality assurance) in terms of the studied factors, Project managers who need to communicate and collaborate with various team members may face challenges or limitations when working remotely. On the other hand, other roles in the project team that can be completed independently and do not require frequent communication with the rest of the team may find remote work more convenient and flexible. Importantly, the survey results also demonstrated that a team member's engineering mindset is a critical factor in the success or failure of projects. Those with a strong engineering mindset tend to implement and deliver projects effectively. Therefore, IT projects are more likely to be successful when the team has a good engineering mindset. © 2023, World Scientific and Engineering Academy and Society. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Over the past two decades, different drivers have prompted institutional players to adopt digital innovations in healthcare systems. Telemedicine represents a digital innovation solution to guaranteeing the continuity of care, and patient and personnel safety. However, despite its potential benefits (such as improving care access in rural areas, reduction in hospitalization stay, and saving time for patients and healthcare professionals) and its rapid acceleration in use during the Covid-19 pandemic, the diffusion of telemedicine services remains limited and uneven across Europe. Adopting an explorative approach, this paper analyzes the implementation of telemedicine projects, investigating not only the factors but also the ways in which the analyzed organizations, in order to move from the design to implementation phase, managed the change needed to overcome barriers and to leverage enabling factors. Our research focus is on Southern Italy;a disadvantaged area in comparison to other Italian and European regions. The goal of the paper is to shed light on the characterization of leverages and barriers, as well as the related managerial actions for change implemented in a context whereby the diffusion of telemedicine remains limited. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd
ABSTRACT
Current engineering job sectors do not only demand theoretical technical knowledge but also hands-on skills and critical thinking to ensure that engineering graduates are adaptive to the evolving and innovative world. Hence, several engineering modules at Canterbury Christ Church University have incorporated CDIO projects to integrate professional skills into the course. Following the UK government COVID-19 lockdown guidelines in 2020, traditional oncampus face-to-face learning was restricted at UK universities and colleges;therefore, students faced several challenges from academic and wellbeing perspectives. To overcome the challenges and enhance those professional skills through CDIO projects whilst following COVID-19 restrictions, blended learning was implemented via reconfiguring the delivery and implementation of the CDIO projects through an optimal arrangement of online and on-campus sessions. Online CDIO practical sessions were dedicated to students for transforming their ideas into feasible designs and solutions whereas students developed the hardware prototype during the face-to-face sessions. The learning framework was inclusive with additional support for disabled students with accessible learning materials and supportive technical and professional training. The above strategy also helped students to complete their online assessment to achieve the required professional attributes and manage online/blended groupbased tasks appropriately. Their outcome of the CDIO project was impressive and the quality of those projects is comparable to final-year projects. The performance of the students was also encouraging as the first-time overall pass rate is relatively high (86%) for a cohort of 75 students where average marks are around 59.6 and standard deviation is around 18.5. The high success rate was achieved in all areas of the cohort, for example the pass rate in BAME students was 93.75%, in female students it was 98.43%, and in disabled students it was 98.43%. A survey on students' experience shows that they benefited highly from the sessions related to the CDIO project. © CDIO 2022.All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
It has become evident in the past years that capstone design project course in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department (ECE) does not provide adequate guidance to students. The fall semester of this two-semester course was spent largely on project proposal deliverables, delaying project implementation. There was a disconnect between course instructors, administrators, and students about project expectations and scope. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic forced all courses to take place online and restricted student access to most university facilities. This work evaluates changes to the course structure based on student surveys and observations from teaching staff. To address concerns with project execution and expectations, the timing and format of course deliverables were changed. A September proposal meeting was introduced to allow all stakeholders to clearly define project expectations and scope. As a result, misinterpretations of the project were resolved at early stages. The “Implementation Plan” deliverable was delayed from September to late November, giving students adequate time to consider implementation strategies before following with documentation. An Interim Demonstration was introduced during the first week of December to encourage students to kick-off the implementation phase during fall semester. After the Interim Demonstration, requirements and methods were clear to most students, allowing them to complete the projects with minimal supervision. Deliverable expectations must be better communicated in future years however, as student feedback identified how deliverables were not well-suited to software projects and were not always clear. In addition to changes in deliverables, significant changes had to be made to accommodate remote learning. Online networking sessions were held during summer to help form teams and build community within the class. The sessions were well-attended and resulted in formation of several student teams at early stages of the course. Course lectures were held online with minimal difficulty, following an identical format to other online ECE courses. Team meetings with administrators and supervisors were held online, and students' feedback were positive. The end-of-course design fair was moved online, with pre-recorded videos replacing in-person presentations. Some students expressed disappointment that they were not able to present their projects to a wider community. Despite pandemic challenges and changes to deliverables, a detailed end-of-semester student survey showed that students perceived the course workload to be similar to other courses. Despite accommodations for remote learning, student surveys revealed that the pandemic affected their choice of project, and negatively affected the quality of their projects. The survey also showed, however, that the changes to deliverables and the early all stakeholders' meeting were effective and improved overall project quality. 71% of students indicated they would take the course even if it was not a program requirement. The structure of deliverables for the 2022-2023 will be similar, and remote learning tools will still be used when appropriate. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2022
ABSTRACT
In January 2017, 'Psyche: Journey to a Metal World' was selected for implementation as part of NASA's Discovery program. The Psyche mission will utilize electric propulsion with SPT-140 Hall thrusters to rendezvous and orbit the metal-rich asteroid (16) Psyche, in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The Psyche spacecraft requires no chemical propulsion and, when launched in 2022, will be the first mission to use Hall thrusters beyond lunar orbit. The Psyche spacecraft is a hybrid development with Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)-provided deep-space avionics and communications equipment mounted on a high-heritage MAXAR (formerly Space Systems Loral) Solar-Electric Propulsion (SEP) Chassis, based on their 1300 series of GEO communications satellites. The spacecraft is equipped to support a suite of science instruments, as well as a demonstration of the Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) technology. The spacecraft has sufficient onboard resources, autonomy, redundancy, and operability to complete a 3.5-year cruise to 16 Psyche, followed by a 20-month campaign of science investigations while orbiting the asteroid. The mission's early concept design and progress through Preliminary Design Review (PDR) has been described in previous work. The paper will cover the recent mission progress from the Critical Design Review (CDR) through the start of Spacecraft Environmental Testing, which took place during the COVID pandemic. The authors will highlight the successful remote collaboration between the major partners: ASU, JPL, MAXAR, and the Payload teams that led to the initiation of the Assembly, Test, Launch, Operations Phase (ATLO) in early March 2021. Emphasis will be placed on the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic had on the work environment over the last 16+ months, including challenges to delivery of flight hardware and test equipment. In addition to the COVID-19 challenges, other significant anomalies discovered during design and test will be described along with any impacts to the overall science capability of the mission. © 2022 IEEE.