To BlikBook or not to BlikBook: Exploring student engagement of an online discussion platform

This paper reports on the use of BlikBook, a course engagement platform for tutors and students that facilitates academic engagement in higher education. Based on a case study where BlikBook was essential to the design and delivery of a large undergraduate module, the paper discusses how the platform opens new avenues for student feedback, and encourages more independence in peer-led student groups. The paper makes several important contributions to knowledge and practice. Firstly, it outlines the process of introducing new software within a university context, and identifies potential pitfalls. Secondly, it offers an assessment of BlikBook that was previously untried in the case study organisation. Thirdly, previous studies have focused primarily on students’ perceptions of online platforms, rather than on the differences in experiences between students and tutors, whereas the present study explores both aspects. Findings suggest that incorporating BlikBook in teaching could improve student engagement

Thriving on challenges: how immigrant academics regulate emotional experiences during acculturation

Transnational academic mobility is of growing importance in higher education. Yet, the acculturation for individual academics is challenging. Taking a phenomenological approach, we interviewed twenty foreign-born academics, who had been living and working in the UK for at least one year, and analysed their emotional experiences of acculturation by chronological stages. Then, using Gross's (Gross, J. J. 1998. “Antecedent-and Response-Focused Emotion Regulation: Divergent Consequences for Experience, Expression, and Physiology.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 74 (1): 224–237; Gross, J. J. 2014. “Emotion Regulation: Conceptual and Empirical Foundations.” In Handbook of Emotion Regulation, 2nd ed., edited by J. J. Gross, 3–20. New York: Guilford) model of emotion regulation, we analysed how participants used emotion regulation processes throughout their adaptation to their new environments. The study makes an original contribution firstly by applying a model of emotion regulation not previously used in researching academic life. Secondly, this study shows that, unlike stage theories, acculturation is not experienced primarily in linear stages, but as an ongoing process during which immigrant academics actively work on changing the things that challenge them. Thirdly, the findings emphasise the contributions rather than deficits of immigrant academics. Implications for supporting immigrant academics’ acculturation are discussed

On being an International academic in the UK’s Higher Education

This study aimed for an understanding of being an international academic in UK higher education. Academic staff mobility has become an area of increasing importance, spurred by initiatives such as the Bologna process and the European Higher Education Area (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2015). Specifically in the UK, indications show escalating inflows of international academic staff, with the average number of academic vacancies being filled by non-UK citizens rising from 14% over the years of 2005/08 to 27.2% during 2013/14 (UCEA, 2009; Universities UK, 2015). As the transnational movement of academics continues to increase, it is important to focus not only on numbers, but on the quality of the socio-emotional and educational experiences of this large group to ensure that quality of teaching, student learning and research remain at high standards

The House system: evaluating its role in the experience of business students

This paper presents a case study of students’ experiences of the House system, an innovative scheme introduced for business students, aiming to enhance student experience. The findings are based on a survey of 350 students and 4 group interviews. Analysis of the findings, both statistical and qualitative, indicated perceived clear benefits for the House system, including making friendships, being mentored by supportive staff and skills development. However, they also perceived disadvantages, particularly with regard to unawareness of the system, and limited extra-curriculum and employability activities. The paper concludes that active participation in the House system has a potentially useful role in creating a meaningful and collaborative environment amongst students and staff

Recruitment and development of year tutors in Higher Education

Despite the fact that personal academic tutors are routinely assigned to students (Wheeler and Birtle, 1993), the extensive time pressures involved in monitoring and supporting students have resulted in the introduction of Year Tutors (YTs) to help students confront the various difficulties they face in the current educational context (Willmot and Lloyd, 2005). Consequently, university managers and HR professionals need to ensure that the ‘right people’ are in these roles, and that their personal development takes centre stage to allow them to grow and adapt to the ever-changing educational environment. However, there is a paucity of research into how YTs are recruited and developed. This study explores these areas, and thereby provides clarity to recruiters and to the people actively involved in the role. This study examines the recruitment and selection processes to employ and develop members of academic staff as Year Tutors (YTs). It presents an empirical study of the YTs system in one faculty of a large university in the north-west of England, drawing upon in-depth interviews and focus groups with students, YTs and senior management. Findings reveal that the university under study has no formal strategies or procedures for the recruitment of YTs, with allocations being made simply on the basis of staff workload. In effect, if a member of staff has a heavy workload, they cannot be a YT, and for those who are YTs, their own personal qualities become significant, and they effectively shape much of the role themselves. From the students’ perspective, this may result in inappropriate or disengaged YTs, leaving them puzzled as to who to contact. The study’s findings, therefore, have significant implications for both Human Resource Development (HRD) practice and for University management, especially those with large programmes

The impact of peer-mentoring on the experience of first year business students

Peer mentoring in higher education is becoming increasingly common and is regarded as an effective intervention to ensure the successful transition and even retention of students. This article discusses a newly established peer mentoring initiative, which was introduced by Manchester Metropolitan University, aimed at enhancing the transition and induction of first year students. Specifically, it presents a case study of the students' experiences and perceptions of the peermentoring scheme amongst students studying Business and evaluates the scheme after one year of its implementation. The findings are based on a questionnaire of 105 business students. Analysis of the findings, indicated a perception of clear benefits for the peer mentoring scheme, including enhanced performance and willingness to receive support from peer-mentors on coursework. Perceived disadvantages were related to a lack of awareness of the scheme and to limited meetings with peer-mentors. The paper concludes that despite not all students were aware of who their peermentors were, engagement in the peer-mentoring scheme has a potentially useful role in creating an environment for meaningful relationships amongst students across all levels

The landscape of nonlinear structural dynamics: an introduction.

Nonlinear behaviour is ever-present in vibrations and other dynamical motions of engineering structures. Manifestations of nonlinearity include amplitude-dependent natural frequencies, buzz, squeak and rattle, self-excited oscillation and non-repeatability. This article primarily serves as an extended introduction to a theme issue in which such nonlinear phenomena are highlighted through diverse case studies. More ambitiously though, there is another goal. Both the engineering context and the mathematical techniques that can be used to identify, analyse, control or exploit these phenomena in practice are placed in the context of a mind-map, which has been created through expert elicitation. This map, which is available in software through the electronic supplementary material, attempts to provide a practitioner's guide to what hitherto might seem like a vast and complex research landscape.This project has arisen from a collaboration between the five UK universities and eight industrial collaborators on the EPSRC ‘Engineering Nonlinearity’ Programme Grant (EPSRC grant no. EP/K003836/1). T.B. is funded by an RAEng/EPSRC Research Fellowship.This is the final version of the article. It was first available from Royal Society Publishing via http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2014.040

Exploring Levels of Awareness and Perceptions of Emotional Intelligence within a UK Law Firm

This study explores levels of awareness and perception of EI within a UK law firm to establish if levels of awareness and perception differ amongst different roles within the organisation. The literature review focussed on the EI models proposed by Salovey and Mayer (1990) and Goleman (1995) which formed part of the conceptual framework in order to ascertain if awareness or perceptions linked to the existing models of EI. The research was qualitative in nature and semi-structured interviews were used as the method of data collection and participants were purposively selected to obtain data from employees in different positions within the organisation. The study findings indicated low awareness of EI overall and a limited understanding of what EI entails, but the study highlighted the use of EI skills within the client relationship. Due to the relationship the organisation has with clients and the link to profit, EI skills are implemented when communicating with clients to ensure that they remain loyal to the organisation and thus continuing to generate profit for the firm. However the use and importance of EI skills within the employment relationship and with colleagues were not recognised, the focus of EI skills was specifically concentrated within the client relationship ensuring it was protected. The implications of the study were raised in relation to the employment relationship and the damage that the lack of awareness and inaccurate perceptions of EI is having on the relationship with other colleagues. As a result, this is creating a high turnover of staff and teams that are not performing to their maximum potential and therefore not effectively contributing to the overall success of the organisation. The recommendations of the study are to implement a training programme for the organisation as a whole to raise awareness of the importance of EI and to eradicate misconstrued perceptions of the concept in order to strive towards a workforce with high EI skills

Κυβερνο-εκφοβισμός και κυβερνο-θυματοποίηση σε παιδιά και εφήβους: Συχνότητα εμφάνισης και παράγοντες επικινδυνότητας

Ο κυβερνο-εκφοβισμός (ΚΕ) αποτελεί μια μορφή επιθετικής συμπεριφοράς, η οποία πραγματοποιείται με τη χρήση των Τεχνολογιών της Πληροφορίας και των Επικοινωνιών (ΤΠΕ). Η παρούσα έρευνα μελετά τα ατομικά χαρακτηριστικά 429 μαθητών (47,3% κορίτσια) της Ε’ και ΣΤ’ τάξης δημοτικού σχολείου και των τριών τάξεων γυμνασίου και λυκείου σε σχέση με εμπειρίες ΚΕ. Οι μαθητές συμπλήρωσαν ερωτηματολόγιο αυτο-αναφοράς που αφορούσε στη χρήση των ΤΠΕ, τις εμπειρίες KE και κυβερνο-θυματοποίησης (ΚΘ), και τα χαρακτηριστικά της προσωπικότητάς τους. Τα αποτελέσματα έδειξαν ότι στα περιστατικά ΚΕ και ΚΘ συμμετείχαν συχνότερα αγόρια και μαθητές γυμνασίου, κυρίως με το ρόλο του επιθετικού θύματος. Οι συμμετέχοντες έκαναν συχνότερη και πιο επικίνδυνη χρήση των ΤΠΕ, δήλωσαν μεγαλύτερη άρση αναστολής στο διαδίκτυο, ιδιαίτερα τα επιθετικά θύματα, τα οποία σημείωσαν υψηλή βαθμολογία στα χαρακτηριστικά αντικοινωνικής προσωπικότητας, και χαμηλή βαθμολογία στη συναισθηματική ενσυναίσθηση και τις κοινωνικές δεξιότητες. Ο ΚΕ και η ΚΘ παρουσίασαν θετική συσχέτιση μεταξύ τους, με τη συχνότητα χρήσης ΤΠΕ, την άρση αναστολής, τα χαρακτηριστικά αντικοινωνικής προσωπικότητας και αρνητική συσχέτιση με τη συναισθηματική ενσυναίσθηση, ενώ, ο ΚΕ παρουσίασε αρνητική συσχέτιση με τη γνωστική ενσυναίσθηση. Η άρση αναστολής, και η μεγαλομανία-χειριστικότητα ήταν από τους σημαντικότερους παράγοντες πρόβλεψης της ΚΘ και του ΚΕ. Τα ευρήματα υπογραμμίζουν το ρόλο της προσωπικότητας, των κοινωνικών δεξιοτήτων, και των χαρακτηριστικών του διαδικτύου στην εκδήλωση του φαινομένου.Cyber-bullying (CB) is a form of aggressive behavior, performed with the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The purpose of this study is to examine how the individual characteristics of pre-adolescent and adolescent students affect their participation in CB and Cyber-victimization (CV) incidences. Furthermore, the study aimed at studying the phenomenon in three different age-groups in order to investigate whether participation in CB/V incidences is related to the same individual characteristics in all three age-groups, and consequently if it can be subjected to the same prevention and intervention strategies. Overall, 429 students took part in the study, representing three age groups. Thus, 126 students were upper elementary pupils (10-11 years old), 146 lower secondary (12-15 years old) and 157 were upper secondary pupils (16-18 years old). In terms of gender, 220 were boys and 203 girls. Students completed a self-report questionnaire, measuring CB/V experiences, as well as a number of scales measuring internet disinhibition, sensation seeking, psychopathic traits, cognitive and affective empathy, social skills (i.e. cooperation, assertiveness, self-control and responsibility), self-esteem and peer relations. Several items were also included for the assessment of internet use (i.e. frequency, online activities and skills, dangerous use). Results indicated that boys and lower high school students participated more frequently in CB and CV incidences, especially with the dual participant role of the bully-victim. All participants reported more frequent and more dangerous internet use, than non- participants while they scored higher on the internet disinhibition scale. Bully-victims, had significantly higher scores in internet disinhibition, and in psychopathic traits, while they had significantly lower scores in emotional empathy and social skills. CB and CV had a significant positive correlation with internet use, internet disinhibition, psychopathic traits and also a significant negative correlation with emotional empathy. Moreover, CB had a significant negative correlation with cognitive empathy. Regression analyses were performed in order to investigate the best predictors for CB and CV participation respectively. Results indicated that CV was predicted by internet disinhibition in the case of elementary school students, by cognitive empathy in the case of lower high school students and by internet disinhibition and grandiose-manipulative traits in the case of upper high school students, after controlling for CB. Regarding CB, it was predicted by grandiose-manipulative traits in elementary students, internet disihibition, cognitive empathy and grandiose-manipulative traits in lower high school and dangerous ICT use, internet disinhibition and internet use for peer participation online activities in upper high school students, after controlling for CV. Findings are discussed in terms of prevention and intervention strategies regarding CB/V; specifically, the role of internet disinhibition, safe internet use and personal characteristics of the participants (i.e. personality, empathy and social skills) in the manifestation of CB/V incidences are discussed, as well as practices for their prevention for all those involved