This report presents a design project undertaken by a Design+Change student seeking to create apositive and holistic change through design. The thesis project focuses on thinking and designing through the perspective of care to promote well-being of students in higher education. My collaborator, EUniWell, has expressed the need to enhance university services to improve students' well-being. As a designer, I was motivated to improve those services by incorporating tangible, visual, and other elements to foster more engaging and effective conversations between students and counselors. The intention was to meet the needs of a variety of learners and design an interactive and inclusive counseling experience. During the design process, I have explored different interesting topics, such as how tangible objects can help us reflect upon thoughts and how incorporating creativity into counseling can help students explore their emotions and experiences. In collaboration with career counseling professionals, I identified a need for students to develop self-awareness in times of uncertainty. As a service designer, I used various design methods and prototypes to explore how tangibility can serve as guidance inbuilding self-awareness and resilience in student counseling in higher education. To test the effectiveness of my counseling tool, I collaborated with health and career counseling services at my university. The designed tool serves as a visualization technique to support conversation during sessions held in different counseling settings and potentially offers a structured approach to self-reflection, allowing students to explore themselves in a welcoming and supportive environment. It has the potential to be a valuable resource for students seeking to gain a better understanding of themselves and their experiences. The tool allows different learners to reflect, identify and utilize students' resources (strengths) which I consider vital not only for students' well-being but also resilience, which is necessary for coping with changing circumstances in this ever-changing world we live in.

Psykisk ohälsa är ett utbrett problem i det svenska samhället. En möjlig delförklaring till detta kan vara bristen på utrymme för existentiella frågor i vården såväl som i samhället i stort. På senare tid har existentiella dimensioner av hälsa uppmärksammats allt mer. Det digitala Livsstilsverktyget är utformat för att främja hälsa ur ett holistiskt och existentiellt perspektiv. Denna studie syftade till att undersöka användares upplevelser av existentiell hälsa i relation till Livsstilsverktyget. Sex användare intervjuades och materialet analyserades genom en induktiv tematisk analys. Analysen resulterade i tre teman: Hitta sin egen väg, Omvärderade förhållningssätt och Att vila i något större. Upplevelser av existentiell hälsa i relation till Livsstilsverktyget berörde ökad självkännedom, förändrade förhållningssätt till sig själv och sin omvärld, närvaro i livet och utforskande av andlighet. / Mental illness is a widespread problem in the Swedish society. A partial explanation for this could be the lack of space for existential questions in healthcare and in society as a whole. Recently there has been an increased recognition of existential dimensions of health. The digital lifestyle-tool Livsstilsverktyget is designed to promote health from a holistic and existential perspective. This study aimed to examine users' experience of existential health in relation to Livsstilsverktyget. Six users were interviewed and the material was analyzed through an inductive thematic analysis. The analysis resulted in three themes: Finding one’s own way, Reassessed approaches and To rest in something bigger. Experiences of existential health in relation to Livsstilsverktyget included increased self-awareness, changed approaches to oneself and one's surroundings, presence in life and exploration of spirituality.

We report on the design of a tangible device for encouraging the acceptance of unproductive time. We first conducted interviews for a better understanding of the subjective experience of productivity. We found that while the idea of being productive can evoke positive feelings of satisfaction, dealing with unproductive time can be a struggle, negatively affecting people’s moods and self-esteem. These findings guided the design and implementation of RU, a tangible device for reflecting on self-care time. Our prototype offers a physical representation of the mainstream productivity mindset and plays with the idea of connecting and charging energy to encourage the user to experience the time considered unproductive as self-care. In a second study, participants used the device for 5 days and our results suggest that the device motivates reflection on activities beyond work and increases awareness of the importance of taking time for self-care. / I rapporten redogör vi utformningen av ett fysiskt verktyg vars syfte är att öka acceptansen för icke-produktiv tid. Först användes intervjuer för att skapa en bättre förståelse och insikt i vad en “produktiv upplevelse” är. Intervjuerna visade att, samtidigt som idéen av att vara produktiv kan ge positiva känslor i form av “uppfyllnad”, så kan hanteringen av icke-produktiv tid vara jobbig och därmed negativt påverka människors humör och självkänsla. Insikterna från intervjuerna användes som stöd för designen och implementationen av RU, ett fysiskt verktyg vars användning är menad att härleda till reflektion samt tid för självvård. Prototypen är en fysisk representation av vad som anses var den stereotypiska bilden av ett produktivt sinne. Prototypen spelar på idéen av att koppla samman och ge energi i syfte om att motivera användaren att uppleva oproduktiv tid som självvård. I en ytterligare exekverad studie använde deltagarna RU under 5 dagar där resultatet indikerade på att verktyget motiverar till reflektion i aktiviteter bortom jobb och en ökad medvetenhet om vikten i att ta sig tiden för självvård.

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<p>  </p> <p>Manufacturing flexibility and human-centered designs are promising approaches to face the demand for individualized products. Human-robot assembly cells still lack flexibility and adaptability (VDI, 2017) using static control architectures (Bessler et al., 2020). Autonomous adaptation to human operators in short time horizons increases the willingness to work with cobots. Besides, monotonous static assembling in manufacturing operations does not accommodate the human way of working. Therefore, Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) workstations require a work behavior adaptation accommodating varying work behavior regarding human mental and physical conditions (Weiss et al., 2021). The thesis presents the development of a cyber-physical HRC assembly station.</p> <p>Moreover, the thesis includes an experimental study investigating the influence of a cobot’s speed on human work behavior. The Cyber-Physical System (CPS) integrates the experiment's findings with event-based software architecture and a semantic knowledge representation. Thereby, the work focuses on demonstrating the feasibility of the CPS and the semantic model, allowing the self-adaptation of the system. Finally, the conclusion identifies the need for further research in human work behavior detection and fuzzy decision models. Such detection and decision models could improve self-adaptation in human-centered assembly systems.</p>

<p>Utilizing autoethnography and thematic analysis, this thesis explores reflexivity and social work praxis. Specifically, it illuminates the phenomenon of reflexivity and its related themes; reflexivity’s multiple meanings, challenges and enabling factors, its link to internal processes, rationale for usage and timeliness of inquiry. The multiple ways that practitioners engage in reflexive inquiry was revealed through dyadic interviews. However, current literature does not reflect this and the breadth and scope of reflexive inquiry is lost within contemporary social work discourse. Therefore, this thesis puts forth multiple definitions of reflexivity, which broaden the scope of reflexive inquiry, contextualize its usage and highlight its indications. The first group of definitions, efficacious, exigent and entrenched reflexivity are defined in terms of four key components; the reflexivity’s focus and center, what the reflexivity seeks and the degree to which reflexivity is utilized as a tool of practice. These definitions shed light on the varying depths of reflexive inquiry. The next group of definitions, extant and revenant reflexivity can serve to highlight to the worker when an experience needs to be reflected upon. The final group of definitions, polycentric and monocentric reflexivity, identify the context in which reflexivity takes place, namely communally or in isolation. The impetus for disseminating these broadened definitions is my belief that their incorporation into contemporary social work discourse and utilization as a required tool of practice will further promote the integration and support of the dual existences of the professional and personal selves; that their procurement into practitioner pedagogy will lead to dedicated space within the practice setting that enables one to be an emotional being, complete with emotional realities while simultaneously coexisting as a social worker, complete with social work related realities. I believe this will result in increased efficiency and productivity to serve and care for our clients, as well as increased worker health and well-being, to serve and care for ourselves.</p> / Master of Social Work (MSW)

Introduction: A trusting relationship between medical learners and clinical teachers is vital for educational and clinical productivity. Perceptions of a trusting relationship are influenced by the learner’s perception of the interpersonal risk (i.e. being humiliated) for engaging in learning behaviours (e.g. asking questions, seeking feedback, learning from mistakes). Perceptions of low interpersonal risk are linked to learners feeling comfortable engaging in learning behaviours. What is less clear is how the clinical environment may influence a medical learner’s perception of trust. Methods: Using constructivist grounded theory, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 medical clerks and 10 clinical educators affiliated with a single institution. Interviews explored participants’ personal experiences of positive, negative or challenging learner-teacher relationships in the clinical environment. Results: Through qualitative analysis, we developed a theory of Co-Navigation which describes how teachers and learners have common points of interaction to solidify or diminish trust as they navigate the dynamics of the clinical environment. These points in the relationship that each must co-navigate include: preparing to work together; asking questions; engaging in clinical work; and addressing learner mistakes. Perceptions of whether the opportunity solidified or dissolved trust, arose from learners’ perception of the amount of effort their teacher made to mitigate stress learners experienced in the learning environment. Limitations: Our interview participants were recruited as individuals; we did not examine their perceptions of their relationships with each other. Co-recruitment of teacher-learner dyads may be a strategy to further refine this theory in future research. Conclusion: The Co-Navigation theory helps teachers and learners identify key opportunities in the relationship and suggests approaches to solidifying trust at these critical junctures. It highlights the role the clinical environment plays in facilitating and constraining opportunities to establish trust. / Thesis / Master of Health Sciences (MSc) / This thesis project aimed to understand how the clinical environment shapes the way medical learners interact and build relationships with their clinical teachers. We interviewed medical students and clinical teachers who worked together during the medical learner’s clerkship year of clinical training in various healthcare specialties. In the interviews, we discussed learner experiences of positive and negative relationships with clinical teachers. We developed a theory which describes four opportunities that medical learners and clinical teachers will encounter that can support the development of a trusting relationship. This thesis project will contribute insight into types of interactions that can be highlighted as strategic points for educational interventions and administrative reform, to support the development of trusting learner-teacher relationships during clerkship.

[pt] A autoconsciência pode ser definida como a capacidade de se tornar objeto da própria consciência e estar ciente de seus próprios processos internos e estados mentais. Considerando isso, o presente estudo teve como objetivo investigar possíveis relações entre aspectos de autoconsciência, burnout e saúde mental. Para tal, por meio de coletas de dados online, foram utilizados instrumentos psicológicos para avalição de: alexitimia, crenças sobre emoções, regulação emocional, experiências dissociativas, estresse, ansiedade, depressão e burnout em uma amostra de trabalhadores brasileiros. Nossos achados demonstram que existem relações entre aspectos da autoconsciência, saúde mental e burnout. / [en] Self-awareness can be defined as the ability to become the object of yourown awareness, including internal processes and mental states. Given this, the aim of this study was to investigate possible relationships between aspects of self-awareness, burnout and mental health. To this purpose, psychological instruments were used to assess: alexithymia, beliefs about emotions, emotional regulation,dissociative experiences, stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout in a sample of Brazilian workers. Our findings demonstrate that there are relationships between aspects of self-awareness, mental health and burnout.

Humans’ emotions have the ability to take over, which might end up with responses inappropriate to the situation. The solution to inappropriate responses is to have a better awareness. Great team-work, calm employees, and rational decision making are all qualities that derive benefit from emotional self-awareness. However, studies show that only 36 percent can identify their emotions as they happen. This paper takes on the opportunity to raise emotional self-awareness by designing a prototype that enables the users to reflect and anonymously share their emotion through an audience response system. Forty-eight participants, in various group sizes, did within-subjects tests. They started by writing down their answer to the question: How do you feel?. They later answered through the prototype. Whether or not the participants managed to be more specific through the prototype was measured, as well as their perceived anonymity. The results revealed that the prototype was useful in both helping the users to learn emotion definitions and further specify their emotion. In regards to the perceived anonymity, it showed that the design was favoring a larger group size around 20 participants.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Melinda S. Markham and Karen S. Myers-Bowman / The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the phenomenon of social networking sites (SNSs) and its impact on practicing human service professionals. In this exploratory study, 33 interviews, comprised of family life educators and social workers, were conducted in order to gain the perspective of how SNSs were being used in practice. A phenomenological approach was used to get at the lived experiences of these professionals. In addition, a Johari Window lens provided a way to understand the level of transparency professionals had when interacting with the digital culture. Themes found described how SNSs were being utilized in practice. These centered on benefits to the agency, clientele, and to the professional. The changing technological climate was shown to be impacting the delivery of services, yet professionals were underutilizing SNSs in practice. Regardless if the professional was on or offline, being recognized as a professional was extremely important. As a result, professionals were cognizant of potential consequences of using SNSs for professional and personal use. This awareness not only led professionals to want to safeguard their privacy, but also provided an opportunity for these professionals to develop guidelines for ethical digital behavior. Implications for research include exploring how a person’s digital status should be defined, if at all, how do privacy and ‘connecting’ influence each other, and what is the impact of viewing others’ posts on the ego strength of the person. The biggest implication for practice was the need for specific policies designed around professional digital behavior. In the absence of specific guidelines, professionals established their own set of rules to guide their practice. However, as more agencies and professions begin to see the need for and develop policies for SNS use, professionals will need to assimilate these new guidelines into their practice.