Digital storytelling as a teaching and learning strategy: experiences of student nurses

The ever changing landscape of technology influences every aspect of modern society, also education. Within recent years, technological advancements and inventive educators have transformed traditional teaching and learning strategies to innovative technology infused strategies. These strategies could potentially meet the learning style of the millennial student. One such strategy is described as digital storytelling, during which student groups create a three to five minute multimedia video, utilizing a combination of digital elements such as a narrative voice recording, music, pictures, video and animation. After creating the digital story, the end product is shared with peers. Paucity in research regarding the use of digital storytelling in the context of nursing education in the Republic of South Africa was found. Thus the aim of the study was to explore and describe the experiences of student nurses during the use of digital storytelling as a teaching and learning strategy at a private Nursing Education Institution in Port Elizabeth. The researcher conducted an exploratory, descriptive, contextual and qualitative study which utilized a connectivism framework as the paradigm. Digital storytelling was used as a teaching and learning strategy in the researcher’s own class. A convenience sampling method was therefore employed to select participants. Data was gathered through documenting observational notes during the process of utilizing digital storytelling in the classroom. After the student nurses had utilized digital storytelling, five focus group interviews with twenty four research participants were conducted, which provided data saturation. The data was transcribed and analysed utilizing Tesch’s thematic analysis method and three themes emerged from the data. The benefits of digital storytelling were voiced by the participants since digital storytelling gave them a means to express themselves and they gained new skills while collaborating with others and improving their learning. There was a negative side to it as well, during which research participants experienced negative emotions, lacked the necessary technological skills and found peer teaching an obstacle to their own learning. The participants also provided suggestions to improve the use of digital storytelling during teaching and learning. A thick description of the data with a literature control was provided. The researcher utilized the findings of this study to develop guidelines for Nurse Educators in order to optimize the use of digital storytelling as a teaching and learning strategy. Rigour and trustworthiness were ensured by utilizing Guba and Lincoln’s four criteria. In this study the researcher adhered to the ethical principles as described by the Belmont Report and paid specific attention to the application of these ethical principles in the context of conducting research on one’s own teaching practices. The limitations of this study were that data was collected from only one group of student nurses at one private NEI, after the student nurses’ utilized digital storytelling for the first time in their training. The findings of this study can be used by Nurse Educators to optimize the use of digital storytelling as a teaching and learning strategy. The recommendations of this study include the implementation of the guidelines developed for Nurse Educators

Medebepalende faktore vir 'n stelsel van voortgesette onderwys 1

The term continuing education is an old concept but only began to enjoy the pertinent attention of educationists in 1972. In this year the influ­ential report of UNESCO, Learning to be, was released, and stress was laid on the fact that education is in fact not limited to formal educational institutions, but that it is an ongoing concern. It was also realised from early on that initial training for a profession is not a guarantee that the practitioner will be able to comply with the demands of the profession "for all time", in an era of accelerating technical and scientific d isco v­ eries. In order to keep up with the newer developments in all fields it has become essential that the practitioner of a profession should from time to time be retrained or experience some in-service training. It is also at present true that institutions within the formal educational system cannot by themselves comply with the demands for schooled labour, and that non-formal education has an increasingly important role to play

The Dilemma of Lawlessness

The Dilemma of Lawlessness explores in-depth three towns typical of Guatemala’s border regions and examines the economic, political, and security effects of the amplification of the drug trade in their streets, across their rivers, and on their footpaths. The cases reveal that trade has brought prosperity, but also danger, as illegal profits penetrate local businesses, government offices, and churches as longstanding local smuggling networks must contend with or accommodate the interests of Mexican cartels. The authors argue persuasively for the importance of cultivating local community capital to strengthen these communities’ resiliency in the face of these threats

Defining the relational charter for commercial project contracts

Paper presented at CENTERIS – International Conference on ENTERprise Information Systems / ProjMAN – International Conference on Project MANagement / HCist – International Conference on Health and Social Care Information Systems and Technologies 2022.Contracting is an integral part of project management. The contract stipulates the legal and commercial relationship between the two engaging parties. The dynamics of this mutual, contractual agreement is contextualized in the principle-agent theory. In practice, the effectiveness of executing the contractual agreement is dependent on relationship management between the principal and agent, which does not necessarily form part of the formal agreement. This paper aims to identify variables that define the principle-agent relationship and formulization of that in a relational charter. A conceptual model is developed to assess the validity of the agency and relational variables and their interrelationship towards the formation of a relational charter. This paper provides insight into the literature review and conceptual model to be used in field research.https://www.journals.elsevier.com/procedia-computer-sciencehj2023Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM

Development of a diagnostic one-tube RT-PCR for the detection of Rift Valley fever virus

Diagnosis of Rift Valley fever (RVF) is based on serology and virus isolation. The disadvantages of the former include poor sensitivity, high cost, risks associated with using infectious virus as antigen, the lengthy duration of ELISA as well as cross-reactivity with other Phleboviruses. We developed, optimised and evaluated a one-tube reverse-transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the detection of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) in ruminants. The PCR primers for this assay were designed to anneal to a region within the M segment of the virus genome, encoding glycoproteins G1 and G2. A PCR amplicon of 363 bp was obtained. The sensitivity of the assay was determined to be 0.25 TCID₅₀. This test should allow for the early and rapid detection of RVFV in both serum and whole blood. In addition, it could facilitate the quantification of antigen for the manufacture of current vaccines.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat v.9 was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format

‘Ser Eleno’: Insurgent identity formation in the ELN

In conflict studies, identity has been posited as an explanatory factor of the resilience of insurgencies. This article focuses on the identity formation of the National Liberation Army (ELN), a leftist insurgency group in Colombia. As a Marxist–Leninist organisation, the ELN aims to overcome capitalism. In their perception, this is possible via the transformation of the individual into a ‘collective personality’. Along the dimensions of ‘content’ and ‘contestation’, we will demonstrate the mechanisms they impose for such identity formation. Identity, as we will argue, is a main factor in explaining why people participate in this insurgency and thereby enhance its resilience

An investigation into the importance of the ATM protein in the myocardial pathology associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2017ENGLISH ABSTRACT : Introduction: Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is an autosomal, recessive disorder that is caused by mutations in the ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) gene. The gene product, ATM, is a 350 kDa serine/threonine protein kinase with a large number of substrates in various pathways. Patients suffering from A-T display a high incidence of insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and are more susceptible to ischaemic heart disease. Although it is known that the ATM protein is expressed in the heart and that structural and functional changes are observed in the hearts of ATM knock-out mice, very little research has been done on ATM and its role in insulin signalling in the cardiovascular context. This project aimed to identify and characterise an obese, insulin resistant animal model in which myocardial ATM expression is altered; to use this model to determine the effect of ATM manipulation on myocardial function and response to ischaemia/reperfusion injury (IRI); and to determine the effect of ATM manipulation on insulin signalling networks. Methodology: Male Wistar rats received a high caloric diet (HCD) or standard rat chow (control) for 16 weeks after which biometric data was collected. ATM was manipulated in perfusion studies prior to ischaemia using insulin (activator) and KU-60019 (inhibitor). Hearts perfused using the Langendorff balloon model were subjected to global ischaemia followed by reperfusion and Western blots were performed to evaluate insulin signalling intermediates. Hearts were also perfused using the working mode and subjected to regional ischaemia. Following reperfusion, infarct size (IFS) was determined. Aortic ring isometric tension studies were performed to determine the effect of KU-60019 on vasodilation. Results: The HCD resulted in significantly increased body mass, visceral fat mass, glucose levels, insulin levels and HOMA-IR index compared to the control diet and ATM expression was reduced in the HCD hearts. Cardiac function and IFS were comparable in the control and HCD hearts. In control hearts, insulin administration activated the insulin signalling network prior to ischaemia and cardiac function was improved during reperfusion. Insulin had no effect on the insulin signalling network or cardiac function in the insulin resistant HCD hearts. High concentrations of insulin increased IFS in both the control and HCD hearts. ATM inhibition improved cardiac function in control and HCD hearts during early reperfusion but had no effect on cardiac function during later reperfusion. ATM phosphorylation was increased by insulin and decreased by KU-60019 in control hearts, but could not be manipulated in HCD hearts. Insulin-stimulated PKB/Akt activation is not ATM-dependent in the heart. However, ATM inhibition appears to down-regulate insulin signalling via PI3K, PTEN and GSK-3β. ATM inhibition caused NO-dependent vasodilation in control hearts, suggesting a role for ATM in vasoconstriction. Conclusion: ATM is a complex signalling regulator with numerous substrates. In our study, we found that acute cardiac ATM inhibition did not result in significant cardiac dysfunction or complete abrogation of insulin signalling. However, we found that ATM possibly plays a significant role in vasoconstriction. More research needs to be done to fully understand the cardiac role of ATM in insulin signalling.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Inleiding: Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is ‘n autosomale, resesiewe siekte wat deur mutasies in die ATM geen veroorsaak word. Die geenproduk, ATM, is ‘n 350 kDa serien/treonien proteϊenkinase met ‘n groot aantal substrate wat in verskeie molekulêre paaie aktief is. Daar is ʼn hoë insidensie van insulienweerstandigheid en tipe 2 diabetes mellitus onder A-T pasiënte en hulle ontwikkel ook meer iskemiese hartsiektes. Alhoewel dit bekend is dat ATM in die hart uitgedruk word en dat struktruele en funksionele veranderinge gesien kan word in die harte van muise wat nie die ATM geen het nie, is daar baie min bekend oor ATM se rol in insulien-seintransduksie in die hart. Hierdie projek het beoog om ‘n vetsugtige, insulienweerstandige rotmodel te identifiseer waarin ATM vlakke verander is; om te bepaal hoe die hart reageer op iskemie/herperfusie wanneer ATM gemanipuleer word, en om te bepaal hoe ATM manipulasie insulien-seintransduksie beϊnvloed. Metodiek: Manlike Wistar rotte wat vir 16 weke ‘n hoë-kalorie dieet (HCD) of standaard rotkos (kontrole) gevoer is, is gebruik. ATM uitdrukking en/of aktivering is in die harte gemanipuleer deur hulle voor iskemie met insulien (aktiveerder) of KU-60019 (inhibitor) te perfuseer. Harte is met die Langendorff ballonmodel aan globale iskemie blootgestel en na herperfusie is proteϊene van die insulien-seintransduksiepaaie met behulp van die Western-klad tegniek ge-analiseer. Harte is ook deur middel van die werkharttegniek aan streeksiskemie/herperfusie blootgestel waarna infarktgrootte bepaal is. Isometriese spanningsondersoeke is op aortaringe uitgevoer om die effek van KU-60019 op verslapping te bepaal. Resultate: HCD diere het beduidende hoër liggaamsmassas en visserale vet massas; hoër glukosevlakke en insulienvlakke; ‘n verhoogde HOMA-IR indeks en laer ATM vlakke gehad as die kontrole diere. Miokardiale funksie en infarktgroottes het nie verskil tussen kontrole en HCD harte nie. Insulien kon insulien-seintransduksie voor iskemie in kontrole harte stimuleer en het hartfunksie tydens herperfusie verbeter. Daarteenoor het insulien geen effek op hartfunksie of insulien-seintransduksie in die HCD harte gehad nie. In beide die kontrole en HCD harte het hoë konsentrasies insulien infarkte vergroot. In kontrole en HCD harte het ATM inhibisie hartfunksie vroeg tydens herperfusie verbeter, maar het geen effek op hartfunksie later in herperfusie getoon nie. Alhoewel ATM fosforilering deur insulien verhoog is en deur KU-60019 verlaag is in kontrole harte, was daar geen verandering in ATM fosforilering in HCD harte nie. Insulien-gestimuleerde aktivering van PKB/Akt was nie afhanklik van ATM aktivering in die hart nie. ATM inhibisie het wel gelei tot onderdrukking van insulien-seintransduksie deur effekte op PI3K, PTEN en GSK-3β. ATM inhibisie het ook verslapping in aortaringe op ʼn stikstofoksied-afhanklike manier veroorsaak wat ‘n aanduiding is dat ATM betrokke is by vasokonstriksie. Gevolgtrekkings: Deur ‘n groot aantal substrate te beïnvloed, speel ATM ‘n belangrike rol in die regulering van seintranduksiepaaie. Ons het bevind dat akute inhibisie van ATM in die hart nie ‘n beduidende negatiewe effek op hartfunksie gehad het of insulien-seintransduksie onderdruk het nie. Ons het wel bevind dat ATM moontlik ‘n beduidende rol speel in vasokonstriksie. Verdere studies is nodig om die kardiovaskulêre rol van ATM in insulien-seintransduksie ten volle te verstaan