Bilateral effects of unilateral cerebellar lesions as detected by voxel based morphometry and diffusion imaging

Over the last decades, the importance of cerebellar processing for cortical functions has been acknowledged and consensus was reached on the strict functional and structural cortico-cerebellar interrelations. From an anatomical point of view strictly contralateral interconnections link the cerebellum to the cerebral cortex mainly through the middle and superior cerebellar peduncle. Diffusion MRI (dMRI) based tractography has already been applied to address cortico-cerebellar-cortical loops in healthy subjects and to detect diffusivity alteration patterns in patients with neurodegenerative pathologies of the cerebellum. In the present study we used dMRI-based tractography to determine the degree and pattern of pathological changes of cerebellar white matter microstructure in patients with focal cerebellar lesions. Diffusion imaging and high-resolution volumes were obtained in patients with left cerebellar lesions and in normal controls. Middle cerebellar peduncles and superior cerebellar peduncles were reconstructed by multi fiber diffusion tractography. From each tract, measures of microscopic damage were assessed, and despite the presence of unilateral lesions, bilateral diffusivity differences in white matter tracts were found comparing patients with normal controls. Consistently, bilateral alterations were also evidenced in specific brain regions linked to the cerebellum and involved in higher-level functions. This could be in line with the evidence that in the presence of unilateral cerebellar lesions, different cognitive functions can be affected and they are not strictly linked to the side of the cerebellar lesion

A tale of two doctoral students: social media tools and hybridised identities

This paper explores the experiences of two doctoral students who embraced Web 2.0 tools in their digital scholarship practices. The paper gives an insider perspective of the challenges and potential of working with online tools, such as blogs, and participating in online communities, such as Twitter’s #phdchat. We explore by drawing on our personal experiences as to how this participation was affected by our hybridised identity as both members of staff at a UK university and as PhD students. We argue that social media tools provide access to a community of doctoral students and knowledgeable others that reduce isolation and provide challenge and support along the challenging journey of undertaking a doctoral study. Whilst the tools involved exposure and risk in relation to managing our hybridised identities, our experience of their use was one we would recommend to others

Pol-casting: the use of podcasting in the teaching and learning of Politics and International Relations

This article explores the use of podcasts in the learning and teaching of Politics and International Relations in a UK Higher Education institution. The article has three main sections. The first explores the pedagogic issues associated with the use of podcasts. The second highlights examples of good practice for using podcast material in lectures/seminars. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it outlines student attitudes to the use of podcasts within learning and teaching

Social learning and social design using iPads and groupware technologies

Over the past few years we have seen the uptake of the iPad into the Higher Education (HE) curriculum, in purpose of encouraging active social learning. This is augmented through direct-input interfaces, multi-touch interactions and portable, ubiquitous, formal and informal learning, aligning ably with the social constructivist model. Its widespread integration across multiple epistemological domains has been the subject of considerable research, yet more vertical and targeted understanding of its potential within specialized domains, used with typical context-specific software, is still in need. Its affordances for collaboration, a primary concept in higher education, rooted in the shift from individualistic to richer collective learning paradigms [1], also warrants further investigation. In this case study we examine the contribution of the iPad in a tertiary design course which focuses on User Experience (UX) design, a socially-aware collaborative design area. Through the collective activity of co-located and remote student dyads aiming to co-create artefacts such as sitemaps and mind maps, this study seeks to observe the impact of mobile devices on the students’ social learning process and perceived outcomes