Transforming Learning Through Online Storytelling: : 'Making the News' Evaluation Report

This report presents the findings from an independent evaluation undertaken by the University of Hertfordshire of the ‘Making The News project’ as it functioned within the East of England Broadband Network region (E2BN). Making the News represents a set of simple tools that allow teachers and students to rapidly produce ‘news’ stories and publish them on line. It was developed by the Centre for New Media at the Open University in conjunction with E2BNFinal Published versio

AM-OER: An Agile Method for the Development of Open Educational Resources

Open Educational Resources have emerged as important elements of education in the contemporary society, promoting life-long and personalized learning that transcends social, eco- nomic and geographical barriers. To achieve the potential of OERs and bring impact on education, it is necessary to increase their development and supply. However, one of the current challenges is how to produce quality and relevant OERs to be reused and adapted to different contexts and learning situations. In this paper we proposed an agile method for the development of OERs – AM-OER, grounded on agile practices from Software Engineering. Learning Design practices from the OULDI project (UK Open University) are also embedded into the AM-OER aiming at improving quality and facilitating reuse and adaptation of OERs. In order to validate AM-OER, an experiment was conducted by applying it in the development of an OER on software testing. The results showed preliminary evidences on the applicability, effectiveness and ef ciency of the method in the development of OERs

Disjoint Dominating Sets with a Perfect Matching

In this paper, we consider dominating sets $D$ and $D'$ such that $D$ and $D'$ are disjoint and there exists a perfect matching between them. Let $DD_{\textrm{m}}(G)$ denote the cardinality of smallest such sets $D, D'$ in $G$ (provided they exist, otherwise $DD_{\textrm{m}}(G) = \infty$). This concept was introduced in [Klostermeyer et al., Theory and Application of Graphs, 2017] in the context of studying a certain graph protection problem. We characterize the trees $T$ for which $DD_{\textrm{m}}(T)$ equals a certain graph protection parameter and for which $DD_{\textrm{m}}(T) = \alpha(T)$, where $\alpha(G)$ is the independence number of $G$. We also further study this parameter in graph products, e.g., by giving bounds for grid graphs, and in graphs of small independence number

Associations between physical activity in adolescence and health behaviours, well-being, family and social relations.

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in International Journal of Health Promotion and Education on 16 September 2014, available online at: https://doi.org/10.1080/14635240.2014.923287Across Europe and North America, few young people meet the recommended levels of physical activity (PA) of 1 hour of moderate to vigorous PA per day. However, the lives of young people cannot simply be polarised as either completely sedentary or active. Drawing on findings from the World Health Organization Health Behaviour in School-aged Children cross sectional international study, this paper examines the domains of adolescent life associated with young people's participation in overall PA, including health behaviours, social relationships and family activities. Consideration is also given to gender differences. Information in England was collected from 4404 students aged 11, 13 and 15 years, using anonymised self-completed questionnaires. Physical aspects of lifestyle were determined using internationally validated items for measuring PA that met international guidelines for activity and the frequency and duration of vigorous exercise undertaken during leisure activities. Separate analyses were conducted for boys and girls. Levels of PA and vigorous exercise were compared using the chi-squared test for trend. The findings draw attention to the value for the health and well-being of young people participating in some form of PA, even if they do not meet the recommended levels. Medium levels of PA appear to be associated with high levels of life satisfaction, self-rated health and an improved sense of body image. Significant health gains are likely to be made for adolescents in encouraging sedentary young people to undertake some form of PAPeer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Combining Quantum Mechanical Calculations And A χ^2 Fit In A Potential Energy Function For The CO_2 + O^+ Reaction

In order to compute a highly accurate statistical rate constant for the CO2 + O+ reaction, it is necessary to first calculate the potential energy of the system at many different geometric configurations. Quantum mechanical calculations are very time-consuming, making it difficult to obtain a sufficient number to allow for accurate interpolation. The number of quantum mechanical calculations required can be significantly reduced by using known relations in classical physics to calculate energy for configurations where the oxygen is relatively far from the CO2. A chi-squared fit to quantum mechanical points is obtained for these configurations, and the resulting parameters are used to generate an equation for the potential energy. This equation, combined with an interpolated set of quantum mechanical points to give the potential energy for configurations where the molecules are closer together, allows all configurations to be calculated accurately and efficiently

Pragmatism, identity and the state: how the Nuaulu of Seram have re-invented their beliefs and practices as ‘religion’. Wacana

The Dutch colonial state categorized animists and ancestor-worshippers and inscribed them into written records in ways that have had long-term effects. The immediate post-independence period in Maluku, despite early political turmoil, settled-down to a kind of stability under the New Order, the paradoxical outcome of which was both gradual integration of Nuaulu into a wider political and cultural consensus and conditions favouring economic change that undermined that consensus. The new policies of reformasi after 1998 presented further opportunities for Nuaulu to engage with the state in ways that promoted their interests. The opportunities were short-lived, however, given the implosive events of the communal unrest that lasted until 2001. This paper illustrates how this history has influenced Nuaulu self-perceptions and conceptualisation of themselves as a separate people with a “religion” that goes beyond simply adherence to adat, and how this process has been partly driven by demography and a desire for pragmatic accommodation. ABSTRAK Pemerintah kolonial Belanda mengkategorikan penganut Animisme dan pemuja leluhur serta mendokumentasikan mereka dalam literatur atau dokumen tertulis sedemikian rupa sehingga memiliki efek jangka panjang. Periode pasca-kemerdekaan di Maluku -walaupun awalnya ada kekacauan politik- berlangsung teratur di bawah stabilitas pemerintahan Orde Baru, berlawanan dengan situasi orang Nuaulu sebagai hasil integrasi secara bertahap ke dalam konsensus politik dan budaya yang lebih luas serta dengan kondisi-kondisi perubahan ekonomi yang meruntuhkan konsensus itu. Kebijakan-kebijakan baru era reformasi setelah tahun 1998 memberikan kesempatan lebih jauh untuk orang Nuaulu terlibat dengan negara dalam hal menyokong kepentingan-kepentingan mereka. Namun kesempatan itu hanya sebentar karena pecahnya konflik komunal di Maluku yang berlangsung sampai tahun 2001. Tulisan ini menjelaskan bagaimana sejarah itu mempengaruhi persepsi-diri orang Nuaulu dan konseptualisasi diri mereka sebagai komunitas tersendiri dengan suatu “agama” yang melebihi ketaatan yang lazim terhadap adat, dan bagaimana proses ini sebagian disebabkan oleh keadaan demografi dan keinginan untuk penyesuaian secara pragmatis