An interactive learning environment in geographical information systems

The Unigis Learning Station is a computer‐based learning management tool for the Postgraduate Diploma in Geographical Information Systems by distance learning (correspondence). Unigis is an international network of universities co‐operating in the delivery of such courses. The students on Unigis courses are mature mid‐career professionals who study in addition to undertaking full time jobs. The Learning Station offers these students information about the course, resources for independent study, a structured set of exercises, assessments and feedback opportunities, and an integrated and easy way to interact with other course software. Following a brief introduction to the Unigis curriculum, this paper discusses the design of the Learning Station. The roles the Learning Station adopts are outlined, and the range of multimedia and communications tools used discussed. Evaluation of the Learning Station is presented and the issued raised by this provide useful lessons for other computer‐based learning management tools, and the adaptation of the Learning Station to other teaching and learning situations

Together we know more than we know we know : collaborative learning with information technology students

This study describes the collaborative learning experiences of a community college instructor and her students in an information technology course. Peters and Armstrong\u27s (1998) Types of Teaching and Leaming model served as a framework for the instructor\u27s introduction of collaborative learning �to a traditionally-taught course, and Peters\u27 ( 1998) approach to action research was used as the principal method of inquiry. Phenomenological and semi-structured interviews, field notes, and researcher journal entries generated the data. The ethnographic methods of Spradley (1980) and Hatch (2002) were used to analyze data. The inductive analysis surfaced four themes: relationships, positioning, dialogue, and mindfulness. These themes described the participants\u27 experience with learning how to learn software applications. The themes also closely approximated the description of three of four elements of Peters and Armstrong\u27s Type III Teaching and Leaming. The addition of collaborative learning to the course design enhanced students\u27 learning experience and led to changes in the instructor\u27s practice. Implications for other college instructors who teach information technology courses are discussed, as are suggestions for employing action research in the college classroom

Information Tactics of Immigrants in Urban Environments

Introduction. This project seeks to contribute to research on everyday human information behaviour by addressing the information practices of immigrants (here called migrational individuals) engaged in learning about new urban environments.Method. Two qualitative approaches are used: semi-structured, in-depth interviews and participatory mapping (a methodology involving analysis of maps produced by interviewees). The twelve participants interviewed in this project were migrational individuals recruited from an English language learning and acculturation centre in New York, NY.Analysis. Using Certeau\u27s construct of tactics as a theoretical frame, interviews were transcribed and coded with NVIVO software. Analysis focused on practices used by migrational individuals in order to become familiar with New York, sources of surprise and instances of being lost in the city, and technologies and resources that were (or were not) useful in learning about daily life as a recent arrival to an urban environment.Results. Main findings from analysis of interviews include: a detailed account of multiple information resources used in everyday life information seeking, the extent to which personal narrative and biography (such as work history) shapes interpretations of surroundings, and the deliberate use of wandering to become familiar with new environments. These findings are theorized in terms of everyday life information seeking. The term information tactics is suggested as particularly salient for understanding daily practices of navigating unfamiliar city space.Conclusions. Through discussion of migrational individuals\u27 information practices, possible developments for public libraries and acculturation programmes seeking to provide improved services for the immigrant community are suggested. With both practical and theoretical implications, this project provides in-depth perspectives on an understudied group within library and information science research

Teacher talk: Flexible delivery and academics’ praxis in an Australian university

This article reveals how a university-wide decision to implement flexible delivery at an Australian regional university stimulated academics' praxis in the form of committed, collaborative inquiry into teaching practice and students' learning. This inquiry took the form of deliberately developed conversations amongst academics about their teaching practices. The article reports the discussions of a group of seven education academics who met regularly over a 6-month period to better understand, with a view to improving, their teaching practices in the context of the introduction of a new e-technology platform at their university. Analysis of detailed transcripts of semi-structured meetings of the group suggests considerable evidence of praxis amongst members. This was evident in the way participants interacted with one another in their efforts to interrogate what flexible learning meant, their response to the change process instigated by the move to flexible delivery, and their critique of the usefulness of information and communication technologies for teaching practice and student learning. The findings validate collaborative inquiry approaches as a form of praxis in university settings. © 2010 Taylor & Franci

Double identity and double mission of information activities in serious leisure: A case study of idol fans from China

Introduction. As an accompanying growth demand, fandom culture has attracted more and more attention in Chinese society. The poster aimed to study the characteristics of idol fans’ information activities in the context of serious leisure. Methods. Based on Hektor’s daily life information behaviour model, questionnaire and semi-structured interview were used to investigate the information activities of core fans of idol Z’s fan club. Analysis. The information activities of core fans as individual fans as well as members of fan club were analysed with contend analysis method. Results. Core fans have information behaviour including seeking, gathering, communicating and giving, as well as information activities including searching & retrieving, browsing, monitoring, unfolding, exchanging, dressing, instructing, and publishing. As members of fan club, fans also have other information activities such as information storage and information evaluation. Conclusions. This work showed that the Hektor’s model had strong applicability in describing the information activities of idol core fans, but it needed to be supplemented with activities such as information storage and information evaluation. Core fans had the double identity as information users and providers. Their serious leisure information activities were not only aimed at pure entertainment, but also exhibited problem-solving goals similar to those in learning and work context.Peer Reviewe

Explaining the dollar/euro exchange rate: the role of policy uncertainty, asymmetric information, and hedging opportunities

Many observers were surprised by the depreciation of the euro after its launch in 1999. Handicapped by a short sample, explanations tended to appeal to anecdotes and lessons learned from the experiences of other currencies. Now sample sizes are just becoming large enough to permit reasonable empirical analyses. This paper begins with a theoretical model addressing transaction costs of trading the euro. The model of pre- and post-euro foreign exchange trading explains wider spreads on the euro as a result of three possible causes: a reduction in hedging opportunities due to the elimination of the legacy currencies, policy uncertainty on the part of the ECB, and asymmetric information due to some traders having prior knowledge of ECB policies. However, even informal empirical evidence tends to reject the hypothesis that spreads were larger on the euro than the mark for all but the first few months. This seems like an unlikely candidate to explain euro depreciation over the prolonged period observed. After addressing spreads, the model is turned toward an explanation of the exchange rate level. By specializing the fundamentals considered to the euro-area inflation rate, the model is structured toward the dynamics of learning about ECB policy with regard to inflation. While a stated target inflation rate of 2 percent existed, it may be that market participants had to be convinced that the ECB would, indeed, generate low and stable inflation. The theory motivates an empirical model of Bayesian updating related to market participants learning about the underlying inflation process under the ECB regime. With a prior distribution drawn from the pre-euro EMS experience and updating based upon the realized experience each month following the introduction of the euro, the evidence suggests that it was not until the fall of 2000 that the market assessed a greater than 50 percent probability that the inflation process had changed to a new regime. From this point on, trend depreciation of the euro ends and further increases in the probability of the new inflation process are associated with euro appreciation.euro, foreign exchange, Bayesian learning

Development Training of Android-Based Interactive Learning Application as Supporting Media in Online Learning

In supporting the success of online learning, it is necessary to increase the creativity of educators in developing and using learning media applications. The purpose of this research is to provide training and assistance to lecturers, teachers and prospective teacher students in making Windows and Android-based learning applications. The structured training program is carried out in collaboration between lecturers from the Teacher Training and Education Faculty and partner teams from the Permata Bunda Educational Institution through the Kedaireka Matching Fund program. The training was carried out in a hybrid manner with details of 10 participants participating offline and 60 participants participating online. The training was carried out for one day by dividing into 3 types of activities, namely the introduction of learning applications, direct practice of making learning applications and as a closing activity a questionnaire was given as an evaluation of the success of the activity. Based on the evaluation results obtained information that 14.26% of participants have been able to develop learning applications up to the publication stage, 71.43% of participants have been able to develop learning application content and 10% of participants are able to complete the learning media framework design stage, while 4 ,26% are still at the stage of program installation. In addition, at the end of the activity, participants also filled out a satisfaction questionnaire with the ongoing training activities. Based on the response analysis of participants' satisfaction above 85% which is included in the very good category. This shows that participants are very satisfied with the training they have receive