Online search for retail broadband services: Who searches most? ESRI Research Bulletin 202026 October 2020.

New research looks at which areas generate more or fewer searches for broadband packages using an online price comparison tool. Among the areas generating large numbers of internet searches are those where the residents have high levels of educational attainment or have longer commutes

An Analysis of the Impact and Efficacy of Online Emotional Intelligence Coaching as a Support Mechanism for University Students

As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, many college courses have pivoted to complete online delivery and colleges are also tasked with providing student supports online. It is likely this transition will last beyond any COVID-19 specific restrictions, therefore this small-scale, exploratory study examined the efficacy and impact of the provision of a 5 week online emotional intelligence (EI) coaching programme to a cohort of Irish university students (n = 19) studying at Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin). Results revealed that the average overall level of EI increased for participants following the coaching programme. Students reported that they believed the programme provided emotional support and that it also enabled them to manage academic stress more effectively and ultimately that engagement with the programme had a positive impact on their academic engagement. Taken collectively, the results of this study suggest that whilst EI coaching can be successfully delivered online, where possible, a blended approach may be optimal. However, as this is a novel and exploratory study, further confirmatory research is recommended

Research on the Environment, Health, Consumer Behaviour and the Economy: ESRI Environment Research Programme 2018–2020. ESRI Report November 2020.

Continuing the partnership established between the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in phase I (2016–2018) of the programme, this report summarises the findings from the second phase of the programme (2018–2020). A diverse set of research topics was examined, broadly grouped under five thematic areas

Employer collaboration in developing graduate employability: a pilot study in Ireland

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact on student work readiness outcomes of collaboration with employers in developing and delivering tailored graduate employability workshops in socioemotional skills for work (SES4Work). Design/methodology/approach – Framed by the CareerEDGE model of graduate employability, the authors piloted a five-session module for near graduates in five disciplines. The research included an online employer survey (n 5 128), employer interviews (n 5 21) and tailored workshops for near graduates, culminating in a mock competency-based interview. Using a pre/post-test design, participants (n 5 24) also completed the CareerEDGE Employability Development Profile (EDP) and the Trait Emotional Intelligence questionnaire (TEIque). Findings – After completing the module, there was a statistically significant improvement in participant scores on the CareerEDGE EDP þ12.3%, p \u3c 0.001, effect size (Cohen’s d) 0.89, large, and the TEIque þ6.4%, p 5 0.009, effect size (Cohen’s d) 0.61, moderate. Furthermore, 70% (n=17) of participants were “hired” based on their mock interviews, with 12% (n=4) offered employer connections after graduation. Originality/value – This is the first academic research in Ireland to develop and evaluate an enterprise collaborative, discipline-specific module for enhancing graduate employability. Findings suggest that employer collaboration can enhance the efficacy of employability interventions and therefore merits further research

Demographic variation in active consumer behaviour: Who searches most for retail broadband services?

Consumers who actively search for better broadband deals may benefit from lower prices or improved service quality compared to those who do not. If, however, consumers differ in their propensity to engage with the market and actively search, these potential benefits may not accrue equally. This paper investigates differences in consumer search activity for telecommunications services across small geographic areas. We exploit rich and novel data from a commercial price comparison site to explore the dispersion of consumer search in the Irish retail broadband market, while controlling for supply-side variations. By linking geo-coded searches to census data on small area socio-economic characteristics, we identify the areas where most search originates and can thus characterise the socio-economic and demographic groups to whom the benefits of search are most likely to accrue. We find evidence that areas populated by many highly educated, married people, commuters, mortgage holders, and retirees are among the most active in search. In contrast, those areas in which many older people, farmers, low-skilled workers and students reside give rise to significantly fewer consumer searches

An Analysis of the Impact and Efficacy of an Online Mindfulness-based Intervention as a Support for First-year University Students

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many university courses transitioned to online delivery, therefore, educators and students faced new challenges associated with the delivery of modules and the provision of necessary student supports. Given the scale of this transition, it is likely that many universities will continue to teach remotely far beyond the reach of any pandemic specific restrictions. This study sought to explore the impact and efficacy of a five-week online mindfulness course to a cohort of first year university students (n = 25) at Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), Ireland. Results demonstrated that participation in the course led to decreased levels of perceived stress for students and increased levels of resilience. Students who took the course reported that it provided emotional support, aided them in finding a healthy work-life balance and that ultimately, they felt the course broadened their perspective and helped them be more aware of positive coping mechanisms

Demographic variation in active consumer behaviour: Who searches most for retail broadband services?

Consumers who actively search for better broadband deals may benefit from lower prices or improved service quality compared to those who do not. If, however, consumers differ in their propensity to engage with the market and actively search, these potential benefits may not accrue equally. This paper investigates differences in consumer search activity for telecommunications services across small geographic areas. We exploit rich and novel data from a commercial price comparison site to explore the dispersion of consumer search in the Irish retail broadband market, while controlling for supply-side variations. By linking geo-coded searches to census data on small area socio-economic characteristics, we identify the areas where most search originates and can thus characterise the socio-economic and demographic groups to whom the benefits of search are most likely to accrue. We find evidence that areas populated by many highly educated, married people, commuters, mortgage holders, and retirees are among the most active in search. In contrast, those areas in which many older people, farmers, low-skilled workers and students reside give rise to significantly fewer consumer searches

Local air pollution and asthma among over-50s in Ireland. ESRI Research Bulletin 202008 June 2020.

Researchers today published a study showing that over-50s in Ireland living in areas with higher levels of air pollution are more likely to have asthma. The study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, was carried out by a team from ESRI, TCD, RCSI, TU Dublin and IT Carlow

The Design of Student Training Resources to Enhance the Student Voice in Academic Quality Assurance and Quality Enhancement Processes

Without appropriate training and recognition, students – in particular Class Representatives – often struggle to engage fully with a University’s quality assurance and quality enhancement processes. Through the “Our Student Voice” project in Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), a suite of digital training resources were designed to provide training for students to help develop the requisite knowledge and skills for effective participation there processes, thus strengthening student engagement and enhancing the student voice. The resources are organised into thirteen accessible episodes that each commence with an animated scenario that sets out key messages. The remainder of the episode provides detailed guidance for students and learning activities to help students develop their skillset. Upon completion of the learning activities, and having satisfactorily undertaken one of three specific student role in the quality processes, students can apply for recognition through a digital badge. The training resources and digital badges have been co-designed by a project team comprised of staff and students from across the University guided by best practice internationally. This paper describes the co-design process and presents a set of lessons learned that may assist other higher education institutions in enabling impactful student engagement in their academic quality assurance and quality enhancement processes

Mobilise-D insights to estimate real-world walking speed in multiple conditions with a wearable device

This study aimed to validate a wearable device’s walking speed estimation pipeline, considering complexity, speed, and walking bout duration. The goal was to provide recommendations on the use of wearable devices for real-world mobility analysis. Participants with Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Proximal Femoral Fracture, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Congestive Heart Failure, and healthy older adults (n = 97) were monitored in the laboratory and the real-world (2.5 h), using a lower back wearable device. Two walking speed estimation pipelines were validated across 4408/1298 (2.5 h/laboratory) detected walking bouts, compared to 4620/1365 bouts detected by a multi-sensor reference system. In the laboratory, the mean absolute error (MAE) and mean relative error (MRE) for walking speed estimation ranged from 0.06 to 0.12 m/s and − 2.1 to 14.4%, with ICCs (Intraclass correlation coefficients) between good (0.79) and excellent (0.91). Real-world MAE ranged from 0.09 to 0.13, MARE from 1.3 to 22.7%, with ICCs indicating moderate (0.57) to good (0.88) agreement. Lower errors were observed for cohorts without major gait impairments, less complex tasks, and longer walking bouts. The analytical pipelines demonstrated moderate to good accuracy in estimating walking speed. Accuracy depended on confounding factors, emphasizing the need for robust technical validation before clinical application. Trial registration: ISRCTN – 12246987