Developing digital historians in Italy

This study concerns the experiences of Italian digital historians and their implications for historical scholarship. The present and future of the profession of historian, in academia and outside it, are inextricably linked to the digital revolution that is pervading society. How historians face the challenges and take advantage of the affordances of technology will have a strong impact on teaching and researching history in the future. However, the voice of digital historians on these issues does not emerge systematically from the literature. This research uses grounded theory methodology to delineate a theory of being a digital historian in Italy, a country with a rich historiographical tradition and widespread interest in history, but a weak connection with technology in scholarly endeavours. Based on in-depth interviews with digital historians, the analysis presented here highlights their initiatives, evaluations and strategies, in relation to all aspects of scholarship but particularly the education of future historians. This research is motivated and informed by my professional experience as lecturer in digital methodologies for historical research. The emerging theory revolves around the concept of developing digital history: Italian digital historians are pioneers, animated by passion and desire to innovate but working in a challenging, largely unsupportive environment where their initiatives have not translated well into educational provision for future digital historians or, more generally, to provide students with tools and methodology for historiography in the digital age. Through an illuminative comparison with interviews conducted with digital historians in the United Kingdom, differences and similarities are analysed, with a view to creating a general theory of being a digital historian and its implications for the future of scholarship in history

Example of practice:accessibility statements for inclusive education

This paper provides an example of practice that outlines the benefits and challenges of creating School or Department level accessibility statements and the principles that can be followed when creating them. Like all methods of improving accessibility, there is no one-size-fits-all statement, but through demonstrating one possibility, this example will assist colleagues and other teaching professionals to create an accessibility statement that caters to their needs.The discussion is informed by the results of a staff and student evaluation of accessibility statements issued by the School of Chemical Engineering and the School of Metallurgy and Materials at the University of Birmingham. These Schools issued accessibility statements to show their commitment to accessibility, create open dialogue around students’ varying requirements, and explain the accessibility features/limitations of their teaching and learning resources. <br/

Example of practice:accessibility statements for inclusive education

This paper provides an example of practice that outlines the benefits and challenges of creating School or Department level accessibility statements and the principles that can be followed when creating them. Like all methods of improving accessibility, there is no one-size-fits-all statement, but through demonstrating one possibility, this example will assist colleagues and other teaching professionals to create an accessibility statement that caters to their needs.The discussion is informed by the results of a staff and student evaluation of accessibility statements issued by the School of Chemical Engineering and the School of Metallurgy and Materials at the University of Birmingham. These Schools issued accessibility statements to show their commitment to accessibility, create open dialogue around students’ varying requirements, and explain the accessibility features/limitations of their teaching and learning resources. <br/

“Robots cannot drink coffee or real ale”:the undeniable spark of face-to-face teaching moments in digital learning journeys

The purpose of this study is to evaluate student perceptions of a yearly workshop, held as part of the Master’s in Industrial Project Management programme at the University of Birmingham. This study employed action research methods to understand how the use of technology to deliver fully online and hybrid teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020/21) and its immediate aftermath (2022) impacted on student experience. A mix of technological tools was used, most notably the virtual world environment Virbela, MS Teams, the digital collaboration platform Miro, and telepresence robots. The data indicates that students generally preferred the hybrid teaching mode, which combines face-to-face interactions with remote learning. While fully online teaching offered higher flexibility in a time of crisis, the hybrid approach optimised both digital resources and in-person engagement, leading to enhanced student satisfaction, particularly for the social aspects of learning and community building.<br/

“Robots cannot drink coffee or real ale”:the undeniable spark of face-to-face teaching moments in digital learning journeys

The purpose of this study is to evaluate student perceptions of a yearly workshop, held as part of the Master’s in Industrial Project Management programme at the University of Birmingham. This study employed action research methods to understand how the use of technology to deliver fully online and hybrid teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020/21) and its immediate aftermath (2022) impacted on student experience. A mix of technological tools was used, most notably the virtual world environment Virbela, MS Teams, the digital collaboration platform Miro, and telepresence robots. The data indicates that students generally preferred the hybrid teaching mode, which combines face-to-face interactions with remote learning. While fully online teaching offered higher flexibility in a time of crisis, the hybrid approach optimised both digital resources and in-person engagement, leading to enhanced student satisfaction, particularly for the social aspects of learning and community building.<br/

Engineering Student Belonging To Prevent Early Leavers Through Curriculum Decolonization, Academic Self-Concept, And Psychologically Safe Teamwork

The proportion of early leavers from engineering degrees closely follows the higher education sector throughout Europe; around 10% leave before graduation. Students are more likely to drop-out if they do not feel that they belong in the learning community. While research shows that academic achievement is a primary factor contributing to student drop-out, other student-centric social factors, such as belonging are equally important to student drop-out rates within higher education. The aim of this paper is to present a model constructed on student belonging. The model consists of 3 pillars, namely academic self-concept & professional identity, psychologically safe teamwork, and decolonisation. The study was based on the development and continuous refinement of interventions that could assist students with feeling a sense of belonging. While the primary intention of this project is to present a body of work that highlights belonging as a contributing factor that may be pivotal to a student remaining in higher education or dropping out, readers will also learn about how best to support students in gaining a sense of belonging through self-concept, providing safe teamwork and by decolonising the curriculum

La categoría de riesgo en el campo de la justicia penal juvenil

En el presente trabajo compartimos algunas reflexiones que efectuamos en el marco de nuestras investigaciones, en torno a la intervención del Trabajo Social en el campo de la justicia penal juvenil. En esta oportunidad presentamos algunos de los avances a partir del trabajo analítico donde recuperamos lecturas e inquietudes individuales como de carácter colectivo.Eje Políticas Sociales-GT10: Políticas sociales e intervención profesional en distintos campos: educación, discapacidad, justicia penal juvenil, gestión de políticas sociales, salud.Facultad de Trabajo Socia

La categoría de riesgo en el campo de la justicia penal juvenil

En el presente trabajo compartimos algunas reflexiones que efectuamos en el marco de nuestras investigaciones, en torno a la intervención del Trabajo Social en el campo de la justicia penal juvenil. En esta oportunidad presentamos algunos de los avances a partir del trabajo analítico donde recuperamos lecturas e inquietudes individuales como de carácter colectivo.Eje Políticas Sociales-GT10: Políticas sociales e intervención profesional en distintos campos: educación, discapacidad, justicia penal juvenil, gestión de políticas sociales, salud.Facultad de Trabajo Socia

La categoría de riesgo en el campo de la justicia penal juvenil

En el presente trabajo compartimos algunas reflexiones que efectuamos en el marco de nuestras investigaciones, en torno a la intervención del Trabajo Social en el campo de la justicia penal juvenil. En esta oportunidad presentamos algunos de los avances a partir del trabajo analítico donde recuperamos lecturas e inquietudes individuales como de carácter colectivo.Eje Políticas Sociales-GT10: Políticas sociales e intervención profesional en distintos campos: educación, discapacidad, justicia penal juvenil, gestión de políticas sociales, salud.Facultad de Trabajo Socia

The high potential of micro-magnetic resonance imaging for the identification of archaeological reeds. The case study of Tutankhamun

This study explores the potential of micro-magnetic resonance imaging ( -MRI) for identifying archaeological reeds found in the tomb of Tutankhamun. Reed plants had various historical uses in the past, with ancient Egyptians extensively employing them for crafting a wide range of items. The distinct cross-sectional characteristics of Arundo donax (giant reed) and Phragmites australis (common reed) are observed and described via optical microscopy and  -MRI in this study. While optical microscopy offers higher resolution,  -MRI provides advantages for studying archaeobotanical specimens, as it eliminates the need for mechanical sectioning and potentially damaging fragile samples. The application of  -MRI on a selected archaeological reed allowed us to identify it as Phragmites australis, showing that  -MRI can yield clear images, maintaining the integrity of the sample. In contrast, diagnostic features appeared greatly deformed on the thin section observed via optical microscopy. Despite the limitations related to the sample size and the need for sample soaking,  -MRI presents a valuable tool for analyzing archaeological remains in the field of cultural heritage, with the potential for broader applications. Overall, this study contributes to expanding the toolkit available to researchers studying plant remains, providing insights into reed identification and preservation in archaeological contexts