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The paradigm of design is changing. Designers now need to be equipped with the skills and knowledge that will enable them to participate in the global move towards a sustainable future. The challenges arise as Design for Sustainability deals with very complex and often contradictory issues. Collaborative learning experiences recognise that these complex issues can be addressed with the pooling of diverse knowledge, perspectives, cultures, skills and tools. Unless, however the process of collaboration is explored in detail, the opportunity for reflection, learning and improvement is lost. This paper proposes that by introducing and analysing collaboration within third level design education, the capacity for responsible design practice can be developed, leading to a transformative shift in how designers are taught as students and subsequently practice as professionals. Over two multidisciplinary projects devised and undertaken by design students from the University of Limerick (Ireland), Hogeschool Utrecht (Netherlands) and Virginia Commonwealth University (USA), the collaborative path is mapped and critical junctions identified. From this process of mapping and visualisation, collective narratives of the overall project experience are constructed (through the eyes of the participants and planners). This leads to a greater understanding and appreciation of the benefits and limitations of the collaborative experience.

Study Objectives To evaluate the impact of obesity on complications of hysterectomy Study Design Retrospective cohort study Design Classification Canadian Task Force II-2 Setting Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island (WIH) Patients Patients who had a hysterectomy at WIH between July 2006 and January 2009 Intervention Hysterectomy by any mode Measurements and Main Results We collected data from medical records of all laparoscopic hysterectomies during the time period and collected data from a random subset of abdominal and vaginal hysterectomies. The independent variable, body mass index, was grouped according to World Health Organization guidelines. A composite of surgical complications was generated. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. We collected data from 907 hysterectomies and 29.9% (n=267) of the population was obese. Eighteen percent of patients (n=154) had at least one complication. Compared to non-obese women, obese women were at increased odds of having any complication (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.12-2-34). Performing subgroup analyses by mode of hysterectomy and controlling for confounding factors, we were unable to detect differences odds of complications between obese and non-obese women who underwent either an abdominal, vaginal, or laparoscopic hysterectomy. Conclusion In our study, we found that among women who had a hysterectomy, obese women had a higher rate of complications than non-obese women.

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