e-Learning research: emerging issues?

e-Learning research is an expanding and diversifying field of study. Specialist research units and departments proliferate. Postgraduate courses recruit well in the UK and overseas, with an increasing focus on critical and research-based aspects of the field, as well as the more obvious professional development requirements. Following this years launch of a National e-Learning Research Centre, it is timely to debate what the field of study should be prioritising for the future. This discussion piece suggests that the focus should fall on questions that are both clear and tractable for researchers, and likely to have a real impact on learners and practitioners. Suggested questions are based on early findings from a series of JISC-funded projects on e-learning and pedagogy

Gender issues in the university research environment

Recruiting and retaining females within science, engineering and technology continues to challenge many European Higher Education Institutions. This study looks at female self-perceptions relating to effective research work and career progression. Focus groups are used to examine the attitudes and experiences of females, and a questionnaire used to explore perceptions in four main skills areas: group work; communication; personal awareness; and project planning and management. The study indicates consistent female concerns on issues pertaining to effective female role models, negative work-role stereotypes and the work-life balance of an academic career. For all four skills areas, the average confidence scores of the female participants fell below that of males, but these differences were only statistically significant for perceptions on group work and communication skills, and prior to an intense skills development course. Based on these findings, a student workshop on gender issues has been developed, an outline of which is presented

Ethical Issues in Teaching About Research Ethics

Ethical issues in the conduct of research is an important topic in research methods courses for graduate students inmany Faculties of Education. The authors relate their experiences in teaching this topic over several semesters using a simulation of the well-known research into obedience by Stanley Milgram in the early 1960s. Students' reactions to the use of the simulation at both emotional and intellectual levels are describedand discussed, as is the ethical dilemmathose reactionshave createdfor their teachers in contemplating future use of such emotion-charged teaching approaches

Market research on Brasov community issues

The article is based on a quantitative market research of the opinion poll type which quantified the opinions and attitudes of the adult population of Brasov on some major issues: "the quantification of the mass-media market", "the main community issues", "the voting preferences" - organized in 3 stages: October 2005, March 2006 and June 2006. The opinion poll for the first stage was carried out between the 7th and the 16th of October and focused on the direct interviewing based on a questionnaire containing 61 direct questions, a number of 1051 subjects aged no less than 18, the second stage was scheduled for March 15th-26th and involved the use of a questionnaire of 78 questions, with a number of 1998 subjects having been interviewed. The final stage took place in the second half of June 2006 and focused on quantifying the opinions of nearly 1802 interview subjects. We should also mention the fact that, for the second and the third stage of the "opinion gauge", the questionnaire also had an additional section with questions which aimed at quantifying the opinions of the adult citizens of Brasov on their interest towards "loisir".market research, opinion poll, local mass-media market, the priorities of the local community

Common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) status in the central and southern Mediterranean around the Maltese Islands

Since 1997, a conservation biology research project focusing on cetaceans in the Central and Southern Mediterranean Sea around the Maltese Islands has managed to increase accurate information of the various species inhabiting these waters (Vella, 1998; 2000a; 2000b). Among the species studied, this paper focuses upon the common dolphin, Delphinus delphis in the Mediterranean. This species/subpopulation rated as endangered in the Mediterranean (EN A2abc - IUCN 2003 - http://www.redlist.org) necessitates particular conservation assessment, monitoring and management planning in this region (IUCN, 2003; Reeves et al., 2003). This ongoing longterm research therefore also aims at contributing valuable information (Vella, 2000b) required in relation to the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS). Although Mediterranean cetaceans are legally protected by Maltese law, through specific legal notices, this field conservation research is, to date, the only scientific effort around the Maltese Islands that may furnish the required details for local conservation measures to be implemented. Common dolphin distribution, abundance, habitat preference, behaviour, and associations with fisheries that are exploited in the same area are among the parameters studied. Marine habitat degradation and resource over-exploitation are considerations that need to be addressed since both may affect cetacean survival in the region. Part of the study area, closer to the Maltese Islands is shown in Fig.1, and includes most of the fishing area utilised by Maltese fishermen.peer-reviewe

Issues of validity and reliability in qualitative research

Evaluating the quality of research is essential if findings are to be utilised in practice and incorporated into care delivery. In a previous article we explored ‘bias’ across research designs and outlined strategies to minimise bias.1 The aim of this article is to further outline rigour, or the integrity in which a study is conducted, and ensure the credibility of findings in relation to qualitative research. Concepts such as reliability, validity and generalisability typically associated with quantitative research and alternative terminology will be compared in relation to their application to qualitative research. In addition, some of the strategies adopted by qualitative researchers to enhance the credibility of their research are outline