Final report to the Anchorage Police Department

This brief report updates the previous report Descriptive Analysis of Sexual Assaults in Anchorage to document some of the changes in the nature of sexual assault in Anchorage, Alaska from 2000 to 2003. From 2000 to 2003, the rates of reported sexual assaults in Anchorage continue to be significantly higher than national rates; most victims continued to be female, and almost all suspects male; over half of sexual assaults continued to occur in private residences; and the Spenard and Fairview community council areas continued to experience the highest numbers of sexual assaults in the municipality. However, from 2000 to 2003, some key changes in the nature of sexual assaults were observed. The number of forcible rapes and sexual assaults reported showed a steady increase; sexual assault victimizations increased particularly among Natives and Blacks, among persons younger than 15 years old and those aged 45 to 54 years of age; stranger assaults declined while non-stranger assaults increased; and sexual assaults occurring in the Downtown community council area increased by 144 percent. While this update provides a brief overview of some key changes in the nature of sexual assaults in Anchorage, it does provide enough information to assist in changing policy, and the information presented is now two years old. Ideally, a monitoring program would be developed in Anchorage to provide real-time empirical information about sexual assault and forcible rape to assist in efforts to fight these crimes.Acknowledgments / Executive Summary / I. Gravity Of The Problem: How Does Anchorage Compare Now? / II. The Current Study / III. Victim Information / IV. Suspect Information / V. Assault Information / Conclusion / Appendix A: Data Collection Instrument for 2002/2003 Updat

Physiotherapists Construction of their Role in Patient Education

Objective. The purpose of this study was to understand how physiotherapists articulate their role in patient education with a view to generating new perspectives, and informing debate and curriculum development.Methods. Physiotherapists (16) associated with one higher education institution (HEI) participated in the study and represented a spectrum of educational experience from novice to expert. A qualitative, interpretive study was based on semi-structured interviews which were analysed using a thematic approach to the total data set followed by deeper analysis of key themes drawing on the principles of interpretative repertoire.Results. Four themes were identified: identification with the patient educator role; preparation for the patient educator role; constructs of teaching and learning; therapeutic relationship. Patient education was constructed as an integral and extensive component of practice. Constructs of teaching and learning included transmission and empowerment. Conflicting repertoires of collaboration and compliance were identified in the therapeutic relationship theme.Conclusion. The need for physiotherapists (and other healthcare professionals) to be alert to discourses present within their own narrative and that of others was highlighted. It was also seen to be important to be aware of a tension between transmission-based constructs of patient education, a repertoire of compliance and the goal of patient-centred care. Further research could be carried out to determine the relationship between individuals’ discursive construction of teaching and learning and the methods they adopt when educating patients

25th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE 2008)

Rich media technologies are commonly defined as technologies that enable users to engage in interactive communication, with the ability to see, hear and interact with multiple communication streams synchronously or access them asynchronously. Rich media technologies are also characterised by their ability to support non-verbal communication such as body language and vocal inflection. The rapidly increasing access to rich media technologies such as video and web conferencing both commercially available and as open source, provides a wealth of opportunities for education. This is a rapidly changing landscape as existing and emerging technologies increase both access and expectation in regards to communication. Coupled with this is the growing recognition that new generations of students have greater expectations of media rich learning opportunities and in many cases institutions are poorly placed to respond to this demand

New communications options: a renaissance in videoconference use

Distance education has changed over the decades from a largely isolated, paper-based learning experience to one where rich visual and aural interactions with peers and teachers are now possible. Mitigating the effects of distance has been at the forefront of many who manage, design, teach, or learn with distance education. Video communications can in many ways address these effects. Internet Protocol (IP) video communications have become more relevant than ever as students and their teachers seek to interact with one another as they go about their learning. Renewed interest in communication tools has predominantly arisen due to increased access to the Internet, and on one level represents a renaissance. Further, there are environmental, technological, and economic drivers that will increase the use of internal-based video communications. However, many who teach or manage distance education do not have access to the knowledge and skills that make for effective and efficient use of video communications. A starting point is the discussion of issues and factors key to the scalability, sustainability, and pedagogical considerations of video communication in distance education contexts

Rich media technologies and uncertain futures: Developing sustainable, scalable models

Rich media technologies are commonly defined as technologies that enable users to engage in interactive communication, with the ability to see, hear and interact with multiple communication streams synchronously or access them asynchronously. Rich media technologies are also characterised by their ability to support non-verbal communication such as body language and vocal inflection. The rapidly increasing access to rich media technologies such as video and web conferencing both commercially available and as open source, provides a wealth of opportunities for education. This is a rapidly changing landscape as existing and emerging technologies increase both access and expectation in regards to communication. Coupled with this is the growing recognition that new generations of students have greater expectations of media rich learning opportunities and in many cases institutions are poorly placed to respond to this demand

The Learning Technologies Model

The learning activities model (LAM) developed in the previous chapter provides a theoretical framework for the analysis of the process of learning through the categorization of activities. During the design of learning events, different techniques, methods, and technologies can be applied to activities within each category or to complete categories of the LAM. This matching process is, in essence, the basis of the technology selection method (TSM), presented in Chapter VIII. However, before technologies that are appropriate to learners and learning events can be selected it is essential to have a clear understanding of the nature and capabilities of the technologies. To assist in the understanding and analysis of learning technologies, a theoretical framework of them, called the learning technologies model (LTM), is presented.</jats:p

The Technology Selection Method

In the previous chapters the learning activities model (LAM) and the learning technologies model (LTM) have been developed and examples of their use have been provided. These tools are individually useful as they provide theoretical frameworks for the analysis of learning activities and learning technologies. However, they can be put to a different use and meet a far greater need. They can also be used together in the practical process of the design of learning events and specifically for the selection of learning technologies that are appropriate to the learners, the material, the context, and the budget. This chapter forms the conceptual center of this book as it brings the first two models together to form the technology selection method (TSM). The TSM, an original tool or method, is presented. Examples of the method are provided and it is placed within the context of a generic flowchart for the design of learning events. The TSM can also be used in the conversion of existing learning events from traditional, face-to-face techniques to online learning events.</jats:p

The Learning Activities Model

The effects of open, distance, and flexible learning, and the changed role of technology in learning have been felt in almost all educational sectors and institutions. Technology in many subjects now plays a central role and learning management systems (LMSs) are part of the standard software of higher education institutions. However the influence of learning technology has not been limited to education. The literature on human resource management (HRM) recognizes that there are benefits to be gained through the application of some of the techniques and technologies of flexible learning to training and development (Smith, 1992; Wilson, 1999). For example, LMSs are also providing efficiencies to organizations in the development of their human resources. As mentioned earlier in this book, the term flexible learning is used here to refer collectively to the approaches of open, distance, online, and e-learning and to the literature that is concerned with them. More recently terms such as blended learning and e-learning have appeared to refer to learning experiences that incorporate an electronic element. Typically flexible learning or e-learning would involve the use of the learning technologies discussed here.</jats:p