Smoke and Fire: What About Online Learning Will Keep Burning?

While most students and instructors are happy to be back in the classroom, we should retain and improve at least some of the online learning practices we\u27ve learned over the past two years. For example, should instructors take the time to develop more asynchronous learning activities so face-to-face time can be used for active learning opportunities and group work? Or is the work to build this content or flip your class not worth the effort? What elements of online teaching and learning should be kept burning, and which should we extinguish

Assessing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on student wellbeing at universities in the UK: a conceptual analysis

Transitioning into the university environment can be both exciting and stressful for new and returning students alike. The pressure to perform well academically in an increasingly competitive environment, coupled with a vast array of lifestyle changes, can contribute to suboptimal wellbeing. Over recent years, uptake to wellbeing services within universities in the United Kingdom has grown given the concurrent rise in mental health difficulties reported. Higher education students now have to contend with a drastically altered learning landscape, owing to the discovery of novel coronavirus, Sars-Cov-2, otherwise referred to as COVID-19. In the United Kingdom, universities have moved to close their campuses to both students and non-essential staff in an effort to protect them from contracting the virus. The repercussions of these decisions have been monumental for the delivery of teaching, relationships and, importantly, the provision of student services. Ambiguity remains as to how teaching will be delivered for the forthcoming academic year. The uncertainty caused by the pandemic has yet to be considered in terms of student wellbeing and the new, mostly online, environments that students will be expected to navigate without their typical support networks. For the purpose of this paper, the concept of student wellbeing, a population level term concerned with positive emotions rather than diagnosed mental health conditions, will be considered in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak. The current paper performs a conceptual analysis on student wellbeing in United Kingdom universities with a specific lens on the psychosocial impact of the global COVID-19 outbreak. Given the unprecedented world that students now learn in, considering the impact of the pandemic on psychosocial outcomes delineates the novel challenges that researchers and practitioners must consider when implementing student wellbeing initiatives moving forward

Non-cognitive adaptive resourcefulness: scrutiny of its multidimensionality and nomological validity

Recent research has observed that Mental Toughness, Optimal Regulation, and Self-Efficacy share core features and variance. Investigators have named this commonality Non-Cognitive Adaptive Resourcefulness (NCAR). The NCAR validation study reported that the construct possesses promising psychometric properties, however, further research is required to replicate and extend these findings. Acknowledging this, the present paper using a UK-based sample of 1998 participants (Mage = 40 years, range 18-83), tested the NCAR model against competing alternatives (multidimensional and one-factor solutions), and assessed the nomological validity of NCAR in relation to Perceived Stress and Anxiety Control. Participants completed the self-report study measures online. Exploratory structural equation modelling revealed that a bifactor solution represented data more effectively than one-factor and multi-factor alternatives. Additionally, a structural equation model found that NCAR significantly predicted Perceived Stress (subfactors of Distress and Coping) and Anxiety Control (subfactors of Emotional Control, Threat Control, and Stress Control). Moreover, NCAR predicted PSS Coping and Emotional Control to a greater extent than the specific bifactors (Mental Toughness, Optimal Regulation, and Self-Efficacy). This suggested that NCAR comprises an underpinning, positive psychological energy that facilitates coping. Particularly, an enabling resource that enhances the capacity to thrive under pressure and retain emotional control in demanding and trying circumstances

Toward a Better Understanding of the Relationship between Belief in the Paranormal and Statistical Bias: The Potential Role of Schizotypy

The present paper examined relationships between schizotypy (measured by the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experience; O-LIFE scale brief), belief in the paranormal (assessed via the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale; RPBS) and proneness to statistical bias (i.e., perception of randomness and susceptibility to conjunction fallacy). Participants were 254 volunteers recruited via convenience sampling. Probabilistic reasoning problems appeared framed within both standard and paranormal contexts. Analysis revealed positive correlations between the Unusual Experience (UnExp) subscale of O-LIFE and paranormal belief measures [RPBS full scale, traditional paranormal beliefs (TPB) and new age philosophy]. Performance on standard problems correlated negatively with UnExp and belief in the paranormal (particularly the TPB dimension of the RPBS). Consideration of specific problem types revealed that perception of randomness associated more strongly with belief in the paranormal than conjunction; both problem types related similarly to UnExp. Structural equation modeling specified that belief in the paranormal mediated the indirect relationship between UnExp and statistical bias. For problems presented in a paranormal context a framing effect occurred. Whilst UnExp correlated positively with conjunction proneness (controlling for perception of randomness), there was no association between UnExp and perception of randomness (controlling for conjunction)

Development and Evaluation of the Chronic Time Pressure Inventory

The negative effects of chronic time pressure (i.e., time shortage and feelings of being rushed) are pervasive within modern society. Noting this, and the absence of an established self-report measure, the present paper developed and evaluated the Chronic Time Pressure Inventory (CTPI). Established theory informed the generation of items, resulting in an initial 15-item measure. Study 1, using parallel analysis, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, examined CTPI factorial structure within a sample of 401 respondents. Additionally, reliability (omega and alpha) and convergent validity testing occurred by correlating the CTPI with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS10). Study 2 replicated the emergent, superior factor model in an independent sample of 163 respondents and assessed measurement invariance. Analysis further examined reliability (omega and alpha) and convergent validity. Across the two studies, results supported a bifactor solution, where a general overarching factor encompassed two discrete, but overlapping temporal factors (i.e., Feeling Harried and Cognitive Awareness of Time Shortage). Invariance testing indicated invariance of form, factor loadings, item intercepts and residuals across Study 1 and 2. The CTPI also demonstrated good internal reliability and satisfactory convergent validity with the PSS-10. Findings supported Szollos’ (2009) theoretical conceptualization of chronic time pressure and established the CTPI as a psychometrically sound, theoretically aligned measure of the construct. Indeed, results advocate the CTPI as a promising instrument for conducting survey-based research into chronic time pressure

An independent evaluation of the Routes into AHP Careers resource

Background People interested in a career in the Allied Health Professions (AHP), and those seeking occupational development, require effective online resources that provide up-to-date accessible information about related vocations. The Routes into Allied Health Professions (AHP) Careers Resource, which delivers this essential function launched on AHP Day, 14th October 2019. This report evaluates the effectiveness of the Resource from the perspective of the user/client. The Evaluation centres on three key domains: visibility, usability, and impact: Visibility refers to the ease with which respondents can locate the Resource on the web. This includes quality and quantity of promotional links and search engine results. Usability, in the context of web design, denotes user ‘friendliness’. Primary features include content layout, site interface, appearance, visual design and structure, ease of navigation, intuitiveness, search facilities, and readability/comprehension/clarity. Hence, key components of usability from the user/client perspective are Resource look and feel. In the present evaluation, usability relates also to accessibility, which indexes availability and responsiveness of the site. Explicitly, the expectation that the Resource provides users with current data/information in a rapid and effective manner. Finally, impact refers to the influence that the Resource has on the user/client. Particularly, the degree to which the resource elicits a favourable reaction and positively influences user/client feelings. Concomitantly, impact indexes whether users/clients perceive that the resource is beneficial to them. Specifically, that the Resource conveys important, relevant, meaningful, and helpful material. Methodology Design of the Evaluation Tool In order to assess user/client perceptions and interactions with the Resource the authors of the evaluation designed an online self-report tool. This took the form of an internet-based survey hosted by Qualtrics (see Appendix 1). Generally, researchers refer to this established, widely used approach as internet-mediated research (IMR). The advantage of IMR is that it possesses broad reach, facilitates the rapid collection of responses from diverse and distant geographical locations, and enhances disclosure by reducing social barriers. For these reasons, researchers mostly agree that IMR gathers representative, reliable and valid data. A potential disadvantage of IMR is bias in the form of common method variance (CMV). This typically occurs when participants respond in systematic ways to survey items because of poor design, or the desire to provide socially desirable responses. To prevent this in the current evaluation the self-report instrument divided information into distinct sections and utilised various response formats (i.e., 7-point Likert scale, Yes/No, open text, and select an option). Researchers generally acknowledge that these strategies reduce/eliminate bias, and encourage respondents to reflect on question content. Accordingly, the Evaluation survey comprised independent sections using different response formats that assessed Resource visibility, usability, and impact: • Demographics (i.e., age, preferred gender, ethnicity, and disability), • Reasons for using the Allied Health Professions (AHP) Careers Resource (yes/no), 2 • Experience of using the Allied Health Professions (AHP) Careers Resource (7-point Likert scale; 1= disagree strongly, 2= disagree moderately, 3= disagree moderately, 4= neither agree, nor disagree, 5= agree slightly, 6= agree moderately, 7=agree strongly), • Accessing the Allied Health Professions (AHP) Careers Resource [how and ease] (forced choice), • Careers information [increased awareness of vocational opportunities and qualifications] (yes/no) • Maximizing resource visibility, understanding/accessing AHP career, what users liked/disliked about the Resource, and further comments [open text responses]. The evaluation survey launched on the 24th of February 2019 and closed on the 9th of March 2019. Sample Criterion for inclusion was completion of survey section two (Reasons for using the AHP Careers Resource). In total 83 respondents began the evaluation. Of these, 49 (59%) reached the inclusion threshold. Thirty (36%) of the sample then progressed to survey completion. The average (mean) age of the sample was 39.91 years (standard deviation = 10.86), with a minimum age of 19 and a maximum age of 61. The sample comprised 11 men (mean age = 39.54, standard deviation = 10.89, minimum age = 22, maximum age = 61) and 38 women (mean age = 40.02, standard deviation = 10.99, minimum age = 19, maximum age = 61). In terms of ethnicity, 42 identified themselves as White: English / Welsh / Scottish / Northern Irish / British. Four participants identified as Asian, one as White: Irish, and two as any other White background. Within the sample, 42 indicated that they did not have a disability, two preferred not to say, and five reported the presence of a disability (three indicated a physical disability, and two indicated an intellectual disability)

Associative False Consumer Memory: Effects of Need for Cognition & Encoding Task

Two experiments investigated the effects of product attribute associations on false consumer memory. In both experiments, subjects were presented with sets of related product attributes under incidental encoding conditions. Later, recognition memory was tested with studied attributes, non-studied but associated attributes (critical lures) and non-studied unrelated attributes. In Experiment 1, the effect of Need for Cognition (NFC) was assessed. It was found that individuals high in NFC recognized more presented attributes and falsely recognised more associative critical lures. The increase in both true and associative false memory was accompanied by a greater number of responses that index the retrieval of detailed episodic-like information. Experiment 2, replicated the main findings through an experimental manipulation of the encoding task that required subjects to consider purchase likelihood. Explanations for these findings are considered from the perspective of activation processes and knowledge structures in the form of gist-based representations