| 1. |
- Lee, Christina, 1992, et al.
(författare)
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Understanding Current Challenges in Evaluating Environmental Impacts for Aggregate Producers through a Case Study in Western Sweden
- 2022
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Ingår i: Sustainability. - : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 14:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To improve environmental performance of a product or activity, an understanding of the environmental impacts associated with it is needed. Quantification of environmental impacts can be achieved through the standardized measurement-based tool of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). However, challenges occur when trying to apply a standardized tool to a nonstandardized industry such as the aggregate industry. This study aims to provide greater understanding of the challenges facing the aggregate industry, particularly producers, in applying LCA. This was conducted through a literature review, to establish the current understanding of challenges, accompanied by a case study where a site-specific LCA was conducted with a large enterprise at a crushed-rock-production facility in western Sweden, to gain new industry-specific insight. A total of 13 challenges were identified: seven methodological and six systemic. Out of these 13 challenges, 3 were deemed a high risk to the implementation of LCA by aggregate producers, and 3 to the integrity of results. A best-practice framework is suggested to incorporate LCA into current environmental management techniques utilized at quarry sites in Sweden to overcome some challenges. However, LCA used for environmental management should not lead to double work if LCA is being utilized for Environmental Product Declarations, and further research is encouraged to find appropriate solutions with the most efficient allocation of the resources needed in conducting LCA studies.
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| 2. |
- Hulthén, Erik, 1980, et al.
(författare)
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Book-app as course literature in CDIO-based project courses- Students' perspectives
- 2018
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 14th International CDIO Conference.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Course literature should aim to provide relevant information regarding the fulfillment of course objectives and be adjacent to students’ needs and preferences. The course literature in the “Integrated Design and Manufacturing” (PPU175) course at Chalmers University of Technology consisted of a printed book, which was used as a guide to projects’ implementation. However, the high price and low transferability of the book pinpointed the need of an alternative option. The solution was a book-app created by digitizing and adjusting the content of the existing book. This paper follows the development of the book-app and it examines its applicability as course literature in a CDIO-based project course considering students’ perspectives and preferences. The first version of the book-app was similar to a PDF whereas the second was enhanced with navigational features. Students’ attitudes towards the use of the book-app instead of a printed book as well as their opinions and suggestions about content formulation and app's features were collected after completion of the course through a dedicated survey and a focus group interview. The outcomes supported that although students were positively predisposed regarding the use of a book-app as course literature, they were not satisfied with the first version of the book-app due to its delayed response and low navigation capabilities. Regarding the second version, they were satisfied with its content and depth of the explanations but they encountered compatibility and navigational issues which affected their overall opinion. The paper concludes that students are ready to use a book-app as their course literature and it suggests design and content features that will enhance the usability and students' satisfaction with the book-app.
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| 3. |
- Papadopoulou, Panagiota, 1992, et al.
(författare)
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CDIO faculty development course – Built-in implementation
- 2019
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the International CDIO Conference. - : Chalmers University of Technology. - 2002-1593.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- To successfully implement the CDIO approach in engineering programs, a holistic approach is required, connecting the philosophy of the program with teaching and learning activities in the courses. One influential component in this interaction is faculty members and their competence in providing integrated learning experiences, in using active experiential learning methods, and in assessing student learning (CDIO Standard 10). As an effort to support such faculty development, a group of universities has been conducting activities directly aiming to enable and drive CDIO implementation in the participating universities (mainly within the EIT Raw Materials programme). In this paper, we will continue reporting and critically reflecting on these CDIO-based faculty development endeavours. Initially, a faculty development course was launched in 2016 at Chalmers University of Technology and offered to participants from other universities (Bhadani et al., 2017). The paper starts by outlining the adaptation of the course into its second version, followed by investigating the experiences from the first group in 2018. The course was designed to suit both experienced and novice faculty. It offered a staged introduction to CDIO implementation alternated with sessions in which participants worked on their own course development. The rationale for this design was to increase the direct usefulness for the participants, in that they should feel engaged and involved during learning and be able to immediately apply their learning to their own course. To estimate the impact of the course on participants’ actual course design and implementation, participants’ final presentations and feedback were analysed. Interviews were also conducted to gather information about the changes made in the participants’ own teaching, as well as the perceived influence of the CDIO course on those changes. The paper could be used to support organizers of faculty development courses in other universities, by documenting a model that can be implemented as a standard faculty training course.
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| 4. |
- Papadopoulou, Panagiota, 1992, et al.
(författare)
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Development of a pre-verified epd tool with process simulation capabilities for the aggregates industry
- 2021
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Ingår i: Sustainability. - : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 13:17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper has two aims: to describe the current status and challenges of aggregates producers regarding the analysis and communication of environmental information of their products and to present a layout of a pre-verified tool with simulation capabilities that could assist aggregates producers with their environmental goals. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three Swedish aggregates producers, an aggregates customer, and an expert agency. Additionally, published Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for aggregates and the EN 15804:2012 + A2:2019 were studied to reveal current practices and upcoming changes due to the updated standard. The synergies with process simulations were explored as a step towards using the EPD framework for continuous improvement of aggregates production. The interviews indicated that the main challenge for aggregates producers is the lack of easily available plant data for environmental calculations and clearly defined environmental goals at each plant. The proposed tool uses a common process flowsheet for both EPDs and simulations and has a pre-defined LCA module. The use of such a tool is expected to raise the environmental interest at aggregates plants and improve collaboration with LCA experts. Since the analysis is based on the Swedish aggregates market, the interview results are not directly generalizable to the European context.
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| 5. |
- Papadopoulou, Panagiota, 1992, et al.
(författare)
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Gender Differences in Student Satisfaction Surveys
- 2019
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the International CDIO Conference. - : Aahus University Library. - 2002-1593. ; , s. 834-845
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Engineering programs around the world strive to increase gender balance among their students and endeavor to encourage higher female enrollment. This paper aims to investigate and understand how current engineering students perceive their courses in terms of sufficient prior knowledge and overall general impression and if there are statistically significant differences among male and female students. The discussion on possible reasons for trends in responses will assist in taking actions to accommodate both genders.The study is carried out at the Chalmers University of Technology and focuses on courses in its Mechanical, Automation, and Industrial Design Engineering programs. This study is a continuation of previous work on variations of student satisfaction between CDIO project courses and “traditional” courses (Malmqvist et al. 2018) with the addition of an analysis of gender aspects. The present study will use the same methodology, namely a mixed methods approach and investigate both closed-form questionnaire responses and free text answers in course surveys. Quantitative methods for comparing means of survey questions and qualitative analyses of free text answers for selected courses are chosen to shed light on patterns of different gender’s perceptions. Aspects of different course characteristics such as traditional, lecture-based vs. project-based and theoretical vs. applied are considered.The results demonstrate that statistically significant differences exist in how male and female students perceive some of their courses and how involved they are in answering course surveys, with this difference being more substantial at bachelor’s level than at master’s level. Possible reasons on why those differences exist and what measures, if any, should be taken to close the gap are discussed.
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| 6. |
- Papadopoulou, Panagiota, 1992, et al.
(författare)
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Investigation of Synthetic Clay Court’s Response under Cyclic Loading
- 2018
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The synthetic clay tennis court’s properties need to be examined and modified to converge towards the playing characteristics of the natural clay tennis court. The aim of this study was to investigate the responses of three distinct carpet-material combinations and evaluate how the materials’ alteration affected the results. The specimens were compressed uniaxially up to 2 kN at 400 N/s loading rate at varying number of cycles. Energy transformation, strain accumulation, step of strain accumulation and moduli of each surface combination were calculated. Results indicated that the measurements were affected by the loading history and that the carpet modification influenced mainly the energy transformation and the strain accumulation, while the material change affected additionally the moduli of the system. Conduction of the experiments enhanced understanding of the clay court’s response and could attribute to the initial modelling of the synthetic clay surface.
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| 7. |
- Papadopoulou, Panagiota, 1992
(författare)
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Towards a pre-verified EPD tool with simulation capabilities for the aggregates industry
- 2021
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Aggregates are an indispensable component in the development of societies as they are the basic materials for most buildings and infrastructure projects. Therefore, understanding and taking actions regarding their environmental impact is necessary for the industry’s sustainable development and climate neutrality. This thesis focuses on the current challenges of the aggregates producers regarding the environmental aspects of their aggregates plants and aims at providing them with a tool for fact-based environmental decision-making. The three investigated areas are the current challenges of the aggregates producers, the potential usage of an EPD tool, and the development of such a tool. The proposed tool utilizes the LCA methodology and the standard for EPDs to calculate the environmental impact of aggregates plants. Additionally, it is coupled to process simulations as a step to enable proactive actions from the producers. To address the areas of interest two studies were conducted using a multiple and a single case study. Results suggest that challenges exist due to methodological and stakeholders’ aspects. Methodological challenges include the updated EN 15804 standard, the lack of a European PCR (Product Category Rules) specifically for aggregates, and the different processes adopted by different program operators in developing and verifying EPDs. Regarding stakeholders’ aspects, there may be difficulties with data (accessibility, availability, and quality), with knowledge transfer between LCA practitioners and plant managers, and with the varying interest of plant managers to be involved in environmental questions. The proposed tool can support the aggregate producers by simplifying the process of developing and verifying an EPD since the LCA module is locked and only the input data from the plant need verification. Additionally, such a tool may enhance the collaboration between plant managers and LCA practitioners, improve the environmental awareness of the plant managers by involving them in the EPD and LCA processes and spark positive competitiveness among plant managers to achieve better environmental results. The aspects to be considered during the tool development are requirements by the EN 15804:A1+A2:2019 standard, the program operators, and the main customers. Additionally, data handling alternatives and the development and connection of a sector-specific LCA database are also needed. The proposed pre-verified EPD tool is not going to solve all the challenges that the aggregates producers are facing regarding environmental awareness and proactivity; however, it brings the possibility to develop an EPD easily and use the underlying work in the simulation environment.
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| 8. |
- Papadopoulou, Panagiota, 1992, et al.
(författare)
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Utilization of environmental impact simulations in crushing plant operation
- 2020
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Ingår i: IMPC 2020 - 30th International Mineral Processing Congress.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Crushing plant managers need to assess, manage, and communicate the environmental impacts induced by their crushing plant operations as a step towards the sustainable development of their company. However, performing reliable environmental impact calculations of crushing plants can become challenging when the availability of operational and emission data is low and when the company’s environmental expertise is not adapted and connected to plant operations (or does not currently exist). To address these challenges, this paper proposes a practical approach where the lifecycle assessment methodology (LCA) is combined with process simulations in a web-based tool. To describe what functionality such a tool should have to be incorporated into a company’s workflow, the system that surrounds a crushing plant is analyzed. Further, a case study with a three-stage crushing plant is introduced to showcase how the simulated power draw results produced with the beta version of the tool can be compared to measured sensor data from the crushing plant for one operational day. The results indicate that the simulation tool can provide an adequate estimation of the specific energy for the different material fractions and give an overview of the environmental impact of the process caused by electricity and explosives consumption. Plant managers and operators can use this tool to calculate the environmental impacts of their plant and simulate how different operational strategies influence them.
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| 9. |
- Papadopoulou, Panagiota, 1992, et al.
(författare)
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Utilization of environmental simulations in the design and operation of coarse comminution and classification circuit
- 2020
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Finding and evaluating approaches to lower the environmental impact of their processes is an immediate aim for the mining companies as a part of their sustainability strategies. When only the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology is used, the analysis does not consider the dynamic nature of the process, which leads to lower accuracy of the results. Therefore, there is a need to combine process simulations with LCA. This paper describes how environmental simulations based on LCA can be used to inform plant design and operations of coarse comminution and classification circuits. A conceptional framework is introduced that shows the architecture of the simulation tool and how the different stakeholders, such as plant designers, engineers, equipment manufacturers, operators and educators, can use it in decision-making, education, and training. This simulation tool aims to increase understanding between production and environmental impact by reviewing, improving, and evaluating different choices in the coarse comminution and classification circuit. Its use can assist in lowering the environmental impact of the whole process by configuring the coarse comminution part so that it reduces the need for the more energy-intensive milling part and by regulating the material transportation within the plant to avoid unnecessary emissions.
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| 10. |
- Papadopoulou, Panagiota, 1992, et al.
(författare)
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Video Development Methods for CDIO-Based Project Courses
- 2018
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Ingår i: The 14th International CDIO Conference, Kanazawa, Japan. - 1796-9964 .- 2002-1593. - 9784906122530 ; , s. 431-442
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Video utilization can be a powerful tool for teachers to stimulate students’ interest and support flexible and adaptive learning. Successful video-based learning implementation cannot be assured without careful consideration regarding desired quality, learning outcomes and video development methods. The investigation and sharing of experiences considering video development is indispensable and will contribute to spreading a culture of easily made, peer-reviewed videos, which will enhance teaching and learning. For CDIO-based courses, it is required that the video development methods are agile and cost-effective in production as to support continuous update of videos relevant for the course and other course activities. In this paper, we identify and describe video development methods from different CDIO-based project courses. The methods are classified based on the content type, the production style, the required resources and the video characteristics. All presented video development methods follow our general framework of video development process which has been previously published and consists of four interwoven steps - topic selection, learning objectives mapping, content generation and video recording. Based on semi-structured interviews with the course teachers, we present their experiences with those different development methods to create content specific videos pertaining to various Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate topics. As outcome, we suggest our preferable video development method depending on video content category. We conclude that the choice of video development method must consider the audience’s characteristics and needs while video content should be aligned with the course content, other learning activities and the literature. The video development methods suggested and described in this paper will assist educators to choose an appropriate video development method for their own courses and maximize the videos’ contribution to student learning.
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| 11. |
- Sörensen, Aarti, et al.
(författare)
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Creating an international network of innovative educational labs in mining engineering
- 2019
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 15th International CDIO Conference.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper describes the motivation and procedure for the creation of an international network of Innovative Educational Labsin Mining Engineering. The network is primarily designed for university lecturers in mining engineering to foster a broader exchange and stimulate discussion on best practices for innovative educational lab environments. The objective is to contribute to continuous development and improvement in mining engineering education by encouraging stronger international networking, exchange, and discussion among lecturers in mining engineering education. Mining engineering, just like the mining industry,is a comparatively broad, complex and interdisciplinary as well as international field of study. In addition, mines are enormous plants which are hard to grasp and often exist out of sight of young engineers. Therefore, labs and authentic learning environments already are playing a key role in mining engineering education. In addition, due to the distinctively international nature of the mining industry, there already exists a strong network, especially among professors, in the mining engineering discipline. Both of these factors can provide valuable insights for other engineering disciplines. At the same time, the mining engineering discipline itself needs to remain contemporary and competitive, constantly developing and adapting to changing industry requirements and the international network aims to contribute to and support this continuous improvement process. The creation of this network of Innovative Educational labs in Mining Engineering is part of an ongoing project titled“CDIO II –Implementing CDIO in Raw Materials Sector”, funded by EIT Raw Materials (2018/2019). The objective of the project is to apply CDIO elements to the raw materials sector in order to drive continuous development in and contribute to a sustainable future for education in the field of Raw Materials. The vision is to create an interactive online platform to visualize this network and to make it accessible for lecturers around the world, there by contributing to stimulating a dialogue between universities about good practice in mining engineering labs
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