Unstructured Feedback Research Articles

Conference proceedings: Inaugural meeting of the consortium for autism, genetic neurodevelopmental disorders, and digestive diseases.

Individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), often experience a higher prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms but have complex medical and behavioral comorbidities that make diagnosis and treatment difficult. A multi-stakeholder conference was convened to (a) determine patient and family experiences related to GI symptoms in NDDs, (b) review the clinicians' and researchers' perspectives, and (c) determine actionable steps for future research. The Consortium for Autism, Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Digestive Diseases (CANDID; www.candidgi.com) virtually over 2 days in 2022 and consisted of four key activities: (1) an electronic family survey to assess underlying NDDs and GI symptoms, (2) a session focused on family perspectives, (3) review current clinical care and research, and (4) discussion to identify key next steps. Survey results were obtained electronically via the REDCap platform, and descriptive statistics were generated. The sessions were recorded, and themes were identified. The pre-conference survey ran for ~2 months and 739 families provided responses, with 634 completing all items. 83% had a child with an NDD under age 18, and most patients were White (85%) and non-Hispanic (87%). Constipation (80%), gastrointestinal reflux disease (51%), and bloating (49%) were the most frequently reported symptoms. Families gave unstructured feedback that the measures used in the surveys were often difficult to answer for patients with NDDs or who were nonspeaking. Family and clinical/scientific sessions identified several common themes, including (1) the need for less invasive diagnostic modalities, (2) the need to validate or adapt existing diagnostic measures (e.g., the Rome IV criteria) and outcome assessments, and (3) the need for enhanced attention to parent and caregiver input in treatment plans. Those providing care to children with NDDs, especially those with communication and cognitive challenges, should be aware of the differing needs in this community and consider family perspectives in managing, treating, and measuring GI issues. Future research should focus on adapting or creating diagnostic and research measures for those with NDDs, developing new diagnostic methods to account for diversity in neurodevelopment and communication, and improving methods for family and caregiver engagement in the care of GI disorders.

Web-based eHealth Clinical Decision Support System as a tool for the treat-to-target management of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: development and initial usability evaluation

BackgroundTreat-to-target (T2T) is a therapeutic strategy currently being studied for its application in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Patients and rheumatologists have little support in making the best treatment decision in...

Improving feedback analysis: Deep learning approach to college customer satisfaction assessments

Establishing consumers' views via text-based feedback in a questionnaire is crucial for organizations, include education, since it gives a summary of significant areas that help administrators plan, regulations, and decision making. Through surveys, academic organizations have gathered huge quantities of textual data all over the years. For the organization, it is still difficult to analyse the vast quantities of unstructured feedback from customers to understand their concerns and opinions generally. In this study, we propose deep learning (DL) based technique called topic modelling that utilizing Naive Bayesian (NB) to automatically summarize text and retrieve ideas from this raw data. Additionally, it discusses the text mining procedure used to extract relevant information from the vast volume of text-based data. The most significant issues obtained through feedback from customers were subsequently identified. The findings showed particular issues for workplaces, including environment, staffing, IT infrastructure, and customer feedback system. The feedbacks also prominently highlight difficulties with the attitude of student assistance and security staff as well as the library's management and operations.

The Use of Feedback in Improving the Knowledge, Attitudes and Skills of Medical Students: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of the use of different feedback modalities in improving the knowledge, attitudes, and skills of medical students compared to students receiving no feedback or unstructured feedback. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials was conducted based on a search of the Cochrane, ERIC, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. A total of 26 studies were included for the systematic review and 13 for the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis revealed that the use of feedback was associated with better results compared to control groups (SMD = 0.80 [0.56-1.04], p < 0.001), and also when only high-quality studies were included (SMD = 0.86 [0.56-1.16], p < 0.001). Our findings revealed high heterogeneity in the use of feedback in medical education. However, the results of most of the studies and of the meta-analysis were positive, showing that feedback had a positive influence on the education-learning process of the students. PROSPERO registration: CRD42018112688.

Cortical feedback and gating in odor discrimination and generalization.

A central question in neuroscience is how context changes perception. In the olfactory system, for example, experiments show that task demands can drive divergence and convergence of cortical odor responses, likely underpinning olfactory discrimination and generalization. Here, we propose a simple statistical mechanism for this effect based on unstructured feedback from the central brain to the olfactory bulb, which represents the context associated with an odor, and sufficiently selective cortical gating of sensory inputs. Strikingly, the model predicts that both convergence and divergence of cortical odor patterns should increase when odors are initially more similar, an effect reported in recent experiments. The theory in turn predicts reversals of these trends following experimental manipulations and in neurological conditions that increase cortical excitability.

New Mixed Methods Approach for Monitoring Community Perceptions of Ebola and Response Efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Efforts to contain the spread of Ebola in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during the 2018-2020 epidemic faced challenges in gaining community trust and participation. This affected implementation of community alerts, early isolation, contact tracing, vaccination, and safe and dignified burials. To quickly understand community perspectives and improve community engagement, collaborators from the DRC Red Cross, the International Federation of the Red Cross, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explored a new method of collecting, coding, and quickly analyzing community feedback. Over 800 DRC Red Cross local volunteers recorded unstructured, free-text questions and comments from community members during community Ebola awareness activities. Comments were coded and analyzed using a text-coding system developed by the collaborators. Coded comments were then aggregated and qualitatively grouped into major themes, and time trends were examined. Communities reported a lack of information about the outbreak and the response, as well as concerns about the Ebola vaccination program and health care quality. Some doubted that Ebola was real. The response used the feedback to revise some community engagement approaches. For example, 2 procedural changes that were followed by drops in negative community responses were: using transparent body bags, which allayed fears that bodies or organs were being stolen, and widening the eligibility criteria for Ebola vaccination, which addressed concerns that selectively vaccinating individuals within Ebola-affected communities was unfair. This system is unique in that unstructured feedback collected by local volunteers in the course of their work was rapidly coded, analyzed, and given to health authorities for use in making course corrections throughout the response. It provides a platform for local voices to be heard throughout an emergency response and provides a mechanism for assessing the effects of program adjustments on community sentiments.

Students' perception about 'Model Answer' method as a reflective tool for assessment &amp; teaching-learning in Forensic Medicine

Assessment is an integral part of the curriculum and it is always being attempted to connect teaching with learning. Formative assessment has been established as the best way to monitor a student's progress during the learning process. The essence of assessment is the purpose for which an assessment is done. Formative assessment is formative only if the teacher provides feedback to the student. Assessment without feedback may be a lost opportunity for a student to understand and correct the mistake. Challenges have also been perceived previously for providing feedback. Simply providing unstructured feedback might not ensure student's proper understanding of their use as desired by the teacher. The department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at our institute practices 'Model Answer' method to provide structured feedback following each formative assessment of medical students for the past few years. The model of 'model answer' used in this study differs from the previously suggested models with few modifications such as it is completely structured, enriched with specific and elaborative feedback and following up the assessment as early as possible. This study is an effort to note the perceptions of students about the effectiveness of the method. Most of the students agreed that this method helped them to learn from assessment, clarify concepts, to discuss commonly occurring mistakes, to learn from other's mistakes, to improve their writing skills, to identify their mistake and understand the appropriate response with reasons. Furthermore, they agreed that the method provided an opportunity for discussion and hence it leads to transparent and unbiased assessment. Structured feedback is essential to inform students about what they are doing well and what requires improvement. The structured model answer method with feedback may create a culture which includes an assessment for learning.

Patient Preferences for Time and Location of Infusible Therapies in Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunologic Disorders

People with multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunologic disorders (herein referred to as patients) are increasingly treated with infusible monoclonal antibodies. This rise in demand has placed increased loads on current infusion services and mandates careful strategic planning. This study examined patient preferences for the timing and location of infusions and their association with demographic and disease variables to facilitate patient-focused strategic planning. Ninety-one patients receiving an infusible therapy at an infusion service during March 2019 were asked to complete a questionnaire exploring eight domains, including preferences for time of infusions and location of infusion centers. Potential access to home-based treatment was included as an option. Unstructured (free-text) feedback on current service was also obtained. Eighty-three patients completed the survey (mean age, 42 years; 75% women). Infusions were predominantly natalizumab (66%) and ocrelizumab (25%). Of these patients, 71% were engaged in some form of work or study, and 83% of this group had to arrange time off from work or study to attend treatment. Seventy percent of patients would prefer their infusion before noon, and 60% would consider home-based infusions. Most used a car as their transport to the infusion service. These results suggest that patients are more likely to prefer infusible treatment in the morning and are open to home-based infusions. This study provides information for health services to target service delivery at peak preference times and consider alternate ways of delivering infusible treatments.

Understanding how front-line staff use patient experience data for service improvement: an exploratory case study evaluation

Background and aim The NHS collects a large number of data on patient experience, but there are concerns that it does not use this information to improve care. This study explored whether or not and how front-line staff use patient experience data for service improvement. Methods Phase 1 – secondary analysis of existing national survey data, and a new survey of NHS trust patient experience leads. Phase 2 – case studies in six medical wards using ethnographic observations and interviews. A baseline and a follow-up patient experience survey were conducted on each ward, supplemented by in-depth interviews. Following an initial learning community to discuss approaches to learning from and improving patient experience, teams developed and implemented their own interventions. Emerging findings from the ethnographic research were shared formatively. Phase 3 – dissemination, including an online guide for NHS staff. Key findings Phase 1 – an analysis of staff and inpatient survey results for all 153 acute trusts in England was undertaken, and 57 completed surveys were obtained from patient experience leads. The most commonly cited barrier to using patient experience data was a lack of staff time to examine the data (75%), followed by cost (35%), lack of staff interest/support (21%) and too many data (21%). Trusts were grouped in a matrix of high, medium and low performance across several indices to inform case study selection. Phase 2 – in every site, staff undertook quality improvement projects using a range of data sources. The number and scale of these varied, as did the extent to which they drew directly on patient experience data, and the extent of involvement of patients. Before-and-after surveys of patient experience showed little statistically significant change. Making sense of patient experience ‘data’ Staff were engaged in a process of sense-making from a range of formal and informal sources of intelligence. Survey data remain the most commonly recognised and used form of data. ‘Soft’ intelligence, such as patient stories, informal comments and daily ward experiences of staff, patients and family, also fed into staff’s improvement plans, but they and the wider organisation may not recognise these as ‘data’. Staff may lack confidence in using them for improvement. Staff could not always point to a specific source of patient experience ‘data’ that led to a particular project, and sometimes reported acting on what they felt they already knew needed changing. Staff experience as a route to improving patient experience Some sites focused on staff motivation and experience on the assumption that this would improve patient experience through indirect cultural and attitudinal change, and by making staff feel empowered and supported. Staff participants identified several potential interlinked mechanisms: (1) motivated staff provide better care, (2) staff who feel taken seriously are more likely to be motivated, (3) involvement in quality improvement is itself motivating and (4) improving patient experience can directly improve staff experience. ‘Team-based capital’ in NHS settings We propose ‘team-based capital’ in NHS settings as a key mechanism between the contexts in our case studies and observed outcomes. ‘Capital’ is the extent to which staff command varied practical, organisational and social resources that enable them to set agendas, drive process and implement change. These include not just material or economic resources, but also status, time, space, relational networks and influence. Teams involving a range of clinical and non-clinical staff from multiple disciplines and levels of seniority could assemble a greater range of capital; progress was generally greater when the team included individuals from the patient experience office. Phase 3 – an online guide for NHS staff was produced in collaboration with The Point of Care Foundation. Limitations This was an ethnographic study of how and why NHS front-line staff do or do not use patient experience data for quality improvement. It was not designed to demonstrate whether particular types of patient experience data or quality improvement approaches are more effective than others. Future research Developing and testing interventions focused specifically on staff but with patient experience as the outcome, with a health economics component. Studies focusing on the effect of team composition and diversity on the impact and scope of patient-centred quality improvement. Research into using unstructured feedback and soft intelligence. Funding The National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme.

Piloting an Extracurricular Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Training Program for Interprofessional Learners

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Introduction Experts recommend that health professions students acquire knowledge and skills in quality improvement and patient safety. Educational initiatives exist, but involve minimal interprofessional contact and experiential learning. We piloted an extracurricular program combining didactic elements and projects to address these issues. Methods We collected demographic information and administered a post-program survey to assess the pilot's reach and impact. We analyzed responses using simple descriptive statistics and thematically analyzed unstructured feedback. Results Fifty-one students participated, including twenty-one (41%) undergraduate students, sixteen (31%) graduate students, and fourteen (27%) medical students. Nineteen (37%) participants responded to the survey. Qualitatively, themes around workshop effectiveness, program administration, project-student mismatch, and engagement and accountability emerged. Discussion Despite limited response rates, our training program appeared to be well received. However, key issues of engagement and impact remain. Future efforts will focus on improvement in these areas and more rigorous evaluation of learning outcomes.

CAMH in Primary Care Fiji: developing child and adolescent mental health in primary care

To describe the CAMH in Primary Care Fiji Project. The context; process of development and planning; aims and goals; delivery and outcome are described. Two CAMH in Primary Care Fiji training workshops were delivered in 2017 and 2018 with positive structured and unstructured feedback. A successful, collaboratively developed, culturally appropriate and replicable training for primary care in CAMH is possible.

A Systematic Review of Technology-Supported Peer Assessment Research

With the advancement of information and communication technologies, technology-supported peer assessment has been increasingly adopted in education recently. This study systematically reviewed 134 technology-supported peer assessment studies published between 2006 and 2017 using a developed analysis framework based on activity theory. The results found that most peer assessment activities were implemented in social science and higher education in the past 12 years. Acting assignments such as performance, oral presentations, or speaking were the least common type of assignments assessed across the studies reviewed. In addition, most studies conducted peer assessment anonymously and assessors and assessees were randomly assigned. However, most studies implemented only one round of peer assessment and did not provide rewards for assessors. Across studies, it was more often the case that students received unstructured feedback from their peers than structured feedback. Noticeably, collaborative peer assessment did not receive enough attention in the past 12 years. Regarding the peer assessment tools, there were more studies that adopted general learning management systems for peer assessment than studies that used dedicated peer assessment tools. However, most tools used within these studies only provide basic functionalities without scaffolding. Furthermore, the results of cross analysis reveal that there are significant relationships between learning domains and anonymity as well as learning domains and assessment durations. Significant relationships also exist between assignment types and learning domains as well as assignment types and assessment durations.

The effects of voice with(out) punishment: Public goods provision and rule compliance

We investigate the effect of voice exercised through comment-based participation on individual public goods provision. We implement a modified linear public goods game with treatments along two dimensions. First, we introduce a comment mechanism where individuals can provide unstructured feedback to influence a third-party rule-maker who determines a minimum contribution rule (MCR) at the beginning of the game. Second, we implement a probabilistic sanctioning mechanism for individuals who do not contribute at least the MCR. We find that without punishment, comments are insufficient to maintain high contribution levels over time. However, when enforcement is present, comment-based participation has a positive effect on players’ contributions to the public good and on their probability of compliance with the MCR. Comments also have a large positive effect on the MCR set by the rule-maker; players, in turn, respond to an increase in the MCR by making larger contributions to the public good.

MINDFULNESS-BASED ART PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUP FOR OLDER ADULTS USING DIGITAL TOOLS

Introduction Art therapy is effective for older adults by stimulating cognitive processes, helping to externalize and express emotions, and creating the potential for meaningful activity. Mindfulness has been shown to improve working memory and focus, and enhance integration of verbal and nonverbal processing. Phototherapy involves taking, viewing, manipulating, and interpreting photographs as a therapeutic process. Because of its relatively easy accessibility, spontaneity, and the ability to easily correct errors, phototherapy is an especially approachable form of art therapy compared to painting or drawing. The explosion of digital tools for phototherapy in the past 5 years offers the capability to maximize the potential of this modality by facilitating combination of both mindfulness and phototherapy for exponential treatment impact. In this study we report preliminary findings from a digital phototherapy-based mindfulness group in the SAGE program within the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry at McLean. The primary objective of this study was to assess the feasibility and qualitative effectiveness of a mindfulness-based phototherapy group for older adults experiencing anxiety and depression. Methods This was an observational pilot study of a 13-week group of 4 older women. Each session was 60 minutes long, which was later expanded to 75 minutes to allow times for mindfulness exercises and group sharing. Each participant learned how to take pictures and use the MyMoments, Union, Fuse, & Collage apps on their iPhone and iPad. Effectiveness was evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively, by collecting unstructured participant feedback at Week 13 and administering the Rosenburg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and the Day to Day Experiences Scale at baseline and Week 13. Results We demonstrated that an approach combining digital phototherapy with mindfulness is feasible and possible to implement in a group of older adults. We also demonstrated the feasibility of teaching this cohort the use of apps for phototherapy in a group setting. While we did not conduct quantitative analysis of intervention efficacy, we noted 3 out of 4 patients scored higher on the Day to Day Experiences Scale at Week 13 compared to baseline; in addition, on the RSES at Week 13, participants endorsed statements indicative of higher self-esteem compared to baseline. Qualitative feedback indicated that participants felt a sense of mastery and continued interest in both mindfulness and phototherapy practices. Conclusions Our preliminary study points to the vast potential of incorporating technologies to accelerate and expand the process of art therapies such as phototherapy. Our findings bear replication and quantitative validation but point to the possibility of improving self-esteem and mindfulness skills in older adults. They may also serve as a model of how to incorporate digital tools into the process of clinical care in group and individual settings. This research was funded by This study was supported by the McLean Hospital Division of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Dietary change for macular health of older people: Eating for Eye Health, a pilot community kitchens intervention

BackgroundDry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of untreatable, progressive central vision loss, social isolation, and disability in older people. Evidence suggests that diet (eg, the Mediterranean dietary pattern or increased oral carotenoid intake) might protect against dry AMD progression. The aim of this pilot study was to test the feasibility of a participant-informed community kitchens intervention (Eating for Eye Health project) to implement dietary behaviour change, to benefit macular health of older adults. MethodsAdults (≥50 years) with documented visual impairment due to dry AMD were invited, with a partner, carer, or friend for support, via a National Institute of Health Research mailing list, to participate in a focus group and pilot intervention in London, UK. The intervention was an ice-breaker session and a cookery activity with integrated health promotion information; it was participant codesigned to increase capability and opportunity for implementing dietary change for macular health. For the cookery activity, participants were divided into small groups, with different groups preparing different courses of a three-course meal containing carotenoid-rich foods, which they ate together. The primary outcome was participants' self-reported capability in cooking skills for eye health, evaluated before and after the intervention, using a ten-point confidence score (10=most confident). Secondary outcomes were participant-rated taste acceptability of the food, evaluated by a two-point (a physical thumbs-up or thumbs-down motion) scale for each course, and subjective experience of the intervention (thematic analysis of written qualitative feedback consisting of unstructured feedback using post-it notes immediately after the event and a standardised email questionnaire 1 week later). Findings12 adults (ten with dry AMD and two partners or friends) participated. All participants reported increased confidence scores, with improvement in scores ranging from 2 to 6 points, with all giving a score of 7 points or higher after the intervention, and rated food as acceptable in taste. Thematic analysis of qualitative written feedback, immediately and 1 week after the intervention, identified positive subjective experiences of “social participation” and “peer support”. InterpretationThis pilot study provides evidence to support the feasibility of National Health Service social prescribing of community cookery programmes for older people with dry AMD to increase their capability and social opportunity to implement dietary behaviour change for eye health. FundingUniversity College London Beacon Bursary (for RG to support Eating for Eye Health public engagement work).

Enhancement of knowledge and skills in laboratory techniques for autoantibody evaluation: Utility of a single-day hands-on workshop

Background: Laboratory tests evaluating autoantibodies form a key part of rheumatology practice, yet this remains the least emphasized part of rheumatology training. Methods: We conducted a single-day autoantibody workshop to train young rheumatologists in the principles of autoantibody testing as well as provide hands-on exposure to conduct these tests. We assessed the efficacy of this workshop by pretest and posttest questionnaires evaluating three domains – Antigen–antibody interactions and laboratory techniques other than immunofluorescence (Domain 1); immunofluorescence (Domain 2); and clinical relevance of autoantibodies (Domain 3). In addition, we also sought unstructured feedback from participants. Results: There was a baseline knowledge deficit regarding autoantibody estimation and evaluation among the participants. Comparison of pre- and posttest questionnaires revealed that the 1-day workshop was effective in improving overall knowledge about autoantibody testing as well as in Domain 1 and 2 but not Domain 3. Hands-on exposure and basic level discussion of laboratory techniques were appreciated by attendees. Conclusion: A single-day workshop is effective in enhancing knowledge of attendees about autoantibody testing. In-depth discussions about these laboratory techniques in rheumatology, the immune mechanisms involved and association with clinical scenarios require workshops of longer duration.

Exploring patient perceptions of healthcare service quality through analysis of unstructured feedback

Mechanisms for collecting unstructured feedback (i.e., text comments) from patients of healthcare providers have become commonplace, but analysis techniques to examine such feedback have not been frequently applied in this domain. To fill this gap, we apply a text mining methodology to a large set of textual feedback of physicians by their patients and relate the textual commentary to their numeric ratings. While perceptions of healthcare service quality in the form of numeric ratings are easy to aggregate, freeform textual commentary presents more challenges to extracting useful information. Our methodology explores aggregation of the textual commentary using a topic analysis procedure (i.e., latent Dirichlet allocation) and a sentiment tool (i.e., Diction). We then explore how the extracted topic areas and expressed sentiments relate to the physicians’ quantitative ratings of service quality from both patients and other physicians. We analyze 23,537 numeric ratings plus textual feedback provided by patients of 3,712 physicians who have also been recommended by other physicians, and determine process quality satisfaction is an important driver of patient perceived quality, whereas clinical quality better reflects physician perceived quality. Our findings lead us to suggest that to maximize the usefulness of online reviews of physicians, potential patients should parse them for particular quality elements they wish to assess and interpret them within the scope of those quality elements.

The MacTRAUMA TTL Assessment Tool: Developing a Novel Tool for Assessing Performance of Trauma Trainees: Initial Reliability Testing

To develop a novel assessment tool for trainees-led trauma resuscitation. Assess psychometric properties of the proposed tool. Evaluate feasibility and utility of the tool. Trauma resuscitation is a structured and complex process involving unique sets of skills. There is currently no published structured formative evaluation tool for trauma trainees. Therefore, many trauma trainees rely upon limited, unstructured feedback on their performance. We developed a tool to assess trainee performance while leading a trauma resuscitation and to assist faculty in providing trainee feedback after the encounter. This study was conducted in a level I trauma centre in Ontario, Canada. Principles of learning theories, literature review, and clinical expert opinions were used to design a tool to assess clinical competence required to lead the resuscitation. In total, 5 critical domains were identified. High-fidelity simulation-based environment was used to test interrater reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients. To gauge feasibility, practicality, and utility of the tool, an online survey was sent to raters and trainees at the end of the study. We found "excellent" agreement for "initial critical assessment" domain (0.80) and "moderate to good" agreement for the "communication and leadership" (0.67) and "clinical performance" domains (0.53). "Poor" agreement was identified for the "decision-making" domain (0.33). The coefficients for individual items reached "good" agreement for 5 items, and "moderate" agreement for 8 items. Intraclass correlation coefficients for the remaining 7 items were "fair" or "poor." Most raters agreed that items in the medical training domain were not applicable. Feedback from raters and trainees confirmed the feasibility and acceptability of the tool for formative feedback, in addition to some suggestions to enhance the tool. MacTrauma TTL assessment tool is a novel tool for formative feedback for trainees' performance during trauma resuscitation. Initial psychometric property testing is promising. Further reliability and validity testing of the modified tool is needed. The tool has been shown to be feasible and acceptable by both trainees and faculty as a formative assessment tool.

Reducing Defects through Organizational Learning within a Housing Association Environment

Housing Associations (HAs) contribute circa 20% of the UK’s housing supply. HAs are however under increasing pressure as a result of funding cuts and rent reductions. Due to the increased pressure, a number of processes are currently being reviewed by HAs, especially how they manage and learn from defects. Learning from defects is considered a useful approach to achieving defect reduction within the UK housebuilding industry. This paper contributes to our understanding of how HAs learn from defects by undertaking an initial round table discussion with key HA stakeholders as part of an ongoing collaborative research project with the National House Building Council (NHBC) to better understand how house builders and HAs learn from defects to reduce their prevalence. The initial discussion shows that defect information runs through a number of groups, both internal and external of a HA during both the defects management process and organizational learning (OL) process. Furthermore, HAs are reliant on capturing and recording defect data as the foundation for the OL process. During the OL process defect data analysis is the primary enabler to recognizing a need for a change to organizational routines. When a need for change has been recognized, new options are typically pursued to design out defects via updates to a HAs Employer’s Requirements. Proposed solutions are selected by a review board and committed to organizational routine. After implementing a change, both structured and unstructured feedback is sought to establish the change’s success. The findings from the HA discussion demonstrates that OL can achieve defect reduction within the house building sector in the UK. The paper concludes by outlining a potential ‘learning from defects model’ for the housebuilding industry as well as describing future work.

Enriching Architectural Design Education through Interactive Displays and Local Community Engagement

Designers have a social responsibility to deal with the needs, issues, and problems confronting their clients and communities. Students of design require opportunities to reflect on their role as social facilitators to develop an attitude towards community engagement through different phases and aspects of their careers. Current design courses are challenged by compressed timeframes and fragmented scenarios of different academic requirements that do not actively teach community engagement. This paper outlines a participatory and technological approach employed to address these issues within the teaching of architecture and urban design at the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. A multi-phase community-based research project with stakeholders was implemented over a two-year period. Approximately 150 students in the final year of the Bachelor of Design – Architecture, ten students in the Master of Architecture, and fifteen students in the Master of Design – Urban Design informed and influenced each others’ learning through the teaching and research nexus facilitated by this project. The technical approach was implemented in the form of a bespoke digital platform that supported the display and discussion of digital media on a series of interactive touch walls. The platform allowed students to upload their final designs easily onto large interactive surfaces, where visitors could explore the media and provide comments. Through the use of this technical platform and the introduction of neogeography, students have been able to broaden their level of interaction and support their learning experience through external structured and unstructured feedback from the local community. Students have not only been exposed to community representatives, but have been working in parallel on a specific case study providing each other, across different years and courses, material for reflection and data to structure their design activities.