Proceedings of the GPEA Polytechnic Summit 2022: Session Papers

Welcome to GPEA PS 2022 Each year the Polytechnic Summit assembles leaders, influencers and contributors who shape the future of polytechnic education. The Polytechnic Summit provides a forum to enable opportunities for collaboration and partnerships and for participants to focus on innovation in curriculum and pedagogy, to share best practices in active and applied learning, and discuss practice-based research to enhance student learning. This year a view on the aspects of applied research will be added. How to conduct research in a teaching first environment and make use of this. Which characteristics of applied research are important to be used in teaching and vice versa?The Summit will – once again - also provide an opportunity to examine the challenges and opportunities presented by COVID-19 and will offer us all an opportunity to explore the ways in which we can collaborate more effectively using our new-found virtual engagement skills and prepare for a hybrid future. PS2022 Themes: Design (Programmes, Curriculum, Organisation);Practice-Based Learning;Applied Research; Employability and Graduate Skills; Internationalisation, Global Teaching & Collaboration and Sustainability Theme

From presence to consciousness through virtual reality

Immersive virtual environments can break the deep, everyday connection between where our senses tell us we are and where we are actually located and whom we are with. The concept of 'presence' refers to the phenomenon of behaving and feeling as if we are in the virtual world created by computer displays. In this article, we argue that presence is worthy of study by neuroscientists, and that it might aid the study of perception and consciousness

Project Diane: Women's Foundation of Greater Kansas City Final Report

Women's Foundation partnered with the University of Kansas researchers and included a large-scale survey and analyzed 24 focus groups with 198 Special Forces men and women in order to identify potential barriers and benefits to female integration in Special Forces. The findings can also be applied in other male-dominated professions in the civilian workforce

A Description of the Natural Place of Magic in Philosophy and Religious Studies

The concept of magic is most often considered as a foil by scholars in the fields of philosophy and religious studies, or it is discussed as part of the investigation of “primitive” systems of belief and ritual. In this essay, magic is investigated as a system of inquiry and explanation unto itself, connected to but distinct from both philosophy and religious studies, and an argument is presented for understanding systems of magic as both natural and rational outgrowths of a particular perspective on reality

The Illusions of Reality: Blurring the Line between Fantasy and Reality in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Novels

The principal objective of this thesis was to study Rowling’s Potterverse and other literature to: explore examples of illusions of reality; evaluate these illusions wherever appropriate against philosophical, psychological, scientific, theological and other considerations; assess their impact on reality, and whether they advance the appreciation, establishment or resolution of questions about reality. The topics of: Potter as a hidden world, Mirrors, Senses, the Mind, Time, the expanding world of Harry Potter, Death, Identity and existence (King’s Cross) have been explored, drawing on ideas presented in the Harry Potter novels and supported by the topics stated above. Potter and other fantasy genre literature aid discussion of some difficult and complex aspects of reality by presenting characters who actively wish to discuss these issues. The numerous sources studied for this thesis present many interesting and diverse opinions. However, while interesting, a minority can be characterised as being unsupported personal opinions of particular individuals, which have been appropriately considered as such. Fantasy highlights some illusions of reality, but the discussion of the above topics has led to the conclusion that while, like Potter, there may be inconsistencies in life, we find continuity and meaning from our memories, senses, mind, identity, etc., that allows us to believe in reality

Parading through a Circular Area Development with Arts and Sciences

In recent years, there has been increased attention toward art-science collaborations. Such collaborations encompass a broad spectrum of activities, ranging from artistic projects informed by technology and scientific research and vice versa, to novel forms of inquiry and communication at the intersection of the arts and sciences, combining diverse forms of knowledge and imagination. While such collaborations are not necessarily new, their recent manifestations allow us to gain insights into how complex societal challenges might be approached through multi-actor and disciplinary partnershi

Parading through a Circular Area Development with Arts and Sciences

In recent years, there has been increased attention toward art-science collaborations. Such collaborations encompass a broad spectrum of activities, ranging from artistic projects informed by technology and scientific research and vice versa, to novel forms of inquiry and communication at the intersection of the arts and sciences, combining diverse forms of knowledge and imagination. While such collaborations are not necessarily new, their recent manifestations allow us to gain insights into how complex societal challenges might be approached through multi-actor and disciplinary partnershi

Gamification for Software Engineering Education

Antud bakalaureusetöö eesmärgiks on uurida mängustamist ja selle rakendamise võimalusi hariduses, eelkõige tarkvatatehnika hariduses. Bakalaureusetöö tulemusena valmis esiteks teoreetiline osa, kus käsitletakse mängustamise mõistet, selgitatakse välja kuidas oleks võimalik selle printsiipe kasutada õppetöö parandamiseks ja tuuakse välja nende rakendamise juhised. Teiseks valmis konkreetse aine mängustamise plaan toetudes teoreetilisele materjalile, soovituste arutelu ja antud õppeaine õppejõu hinnang töö käigus väljapakutud soovitustele.The main goal of this thesis is to find out what gamification is and if and how it could be applied in the context of education and more precisely in higher software engineering education. The main outcome of the thesis is firstly, summarising theoretical material on gamification for education. Among them a set of guidelines for undertaking the approach are drawn out. Secondly, gamification plan of a course based on the theoretical materials, discussion on the proposal and a preliminary assessment on the suggestions by the course leader