Recent educational trends prove detrimental to society

Education is key to building a strong society. Political leaders throughout the centuries realized that tailoring education in specific ways would bring specific results. The education system develops future members of society impacting civic engagement and the work force, both of which are political. This research identifies historical educational trends, both what political leaders desired and how they implemented policy to reach those goals. It also looks at the give and take between political goal and societal reception. Lastly this research shows how these changing trends impact students in the classroom and how they are prepared for the work force and civic involvement

Introducing the Slave Next Door

Past studies have indicated that the British public consider human trafficking to be remote from their personal experiences. However, an increase in local press reporting, alongside the emergence of locally co-ordinated anti-modern slavery campaigns, is starting to encourage communities to recognise the potential for modern slavery and human trafficking to exist in their own localities. In this article, we examine how local media and campaigns may be influencing public perceptions of modern slavery and human trafficking. We draw upon a content analysis of local newspapers to review how reports represent cases of modern slavery, and use focus group discussions to understand how local coverage modifies—and sometimes reinforces—existing views. We find that, whilst our participants were often surprised to learn that cases of modern slavery and human trafficking had been identified in their area, other stereotypical associations remained entrenched, such as a presumed connection between modern slavery and irregular migration. We also noted a reluctance to report potential cases, especially from those most sympathetic to potential victims, linked to concerns about adequacy of support for survivors and negative consequences relating to immigration. These concerns suggest that the UK’s ‘hostile environment’ to migrants may be undermining the effectiveness of ‘spot the signs’ campaigns, by discouraging individuals from reporting

Digital Humanities in the Classroom and Beyond: 1) How Scaffolding Saved the Day -- Integrating Omeka into Classroom Curricula 2) New Ecologies of Collaboration -- Digital Humanities and Renaissance Drama

This session will feature perspectives on digital humanities from presenters at two different institutions: 1) How Scaffolding Saved the Day: Integrating Omeka into Classroom Curricula This presentation chronicles a university’s journey to bring digital exhibiting into classrooms across the curriculum. What began as an idea for a different kind of class project became an opportunity that invites students to embrace humanities in a new light and present it on a world stage. While the experience of curating digital exhibits using Omeka transformed the student learning process, it brought numerous challenges to library staff. To overcome these challenges, the presenters embraced flipped-classroom methods and developed a scaffolded approach to providing instruction throughout the semester. Presenters will offer suggestions for developing scalable and sustainable digital humanities projects that engage students and faculty in digital literacy and demonstrate the value of new and different, outward-facing alternative research projects. 2) New Ecologies of Collaboration: Digital Humanities and Renaissance Drama This presentation on the current state of DH + Renaissance Drama Studies will address the way that DH is changing the field by raising the profile of collaborative research methods and projects, and will explore emerging models for collaboration between scholars and librarians

An idea whose time has come? : modern slavery, multiple streams approach and multi-layer policy implementation

This article uses Kingdon’s multiple streams approach to analyse the implementation gap between anti-slavery legislation and front-line practice, with particular reference to emerging challenges in the implementation of the UK’s 2015 Modern Slavery Act. The multiple streams approach suggests that policy change and implementation depends on an active coupling of problems, politics and policy, often by proactive ‘policy entrepreneurs’ drawing upon supportive policy communities. While this conjunction can be observed in the framing of the UK’s anti-slavery policy at a national level, document review and survey evidence suggests a failure to consistently replicate the same elements at a local level. It is suggested that this has resulted in differentiated engagement with anti-slavery policy from crucial local partner organizations, including UK local authorities and the voluntary sector. While in some cases local ‘focusing’ events, politics and policy entrepreneurs have helped to galvanize partnership action, in many localities there is a lack of coordination, resource and impetus. The article makes recommendations to strengthen local implementation, including attention to reframing the ‘problem’ of modern slavery, to ensure that it has resonance for local stakeholders, including local political leaders. It is also important for government to recognize competing demands on service providers, and address contradictions that lead to tensions at the front line, particularly between victim care and immigration enforcement. Future policies could also more proactively support local policy networks and communities engaged in anti-slavery activity, embracing different conceptions of the policy challenge beyond a criminal justice perspective. These findings have relevance not only for the UK but also for other nations considering how to embed anti-slavery policy into local practice

Big change, little change?: punctuation increments and multi-layer institutional change for English local authorities under austerity

This paper draws on new institutionalist theories to consider how we might characterise the process and outcomes of change occurring in English local government as a result of the UK’s austerity policies. It uses national and local empirical data to argue that changes are best understood as multi-layer processes, whereby radical ‘punctuated’ shifts in national funding can be mitigated to incremental adjustments in service delivery at a local level. However, the paper also suggests that the incremental appearance of change may be temporary, and that diminishing institutional resilience and emergent discursive shifts potentially prefigure a paradigm change in local governance. Hall’s (1993) framework of policy change is used to assess the extent of change to date

How are local public services responding to austerity?: English local governance between 2010 and 2015

This thesis explores how English councils and their public service partners responded to the UK Coalition government’s ‘austerity’-related spending cuts between 2010 and 2015. The research is distinctive in moving beyond a focus on the impacts of cuts to individual services, instead considering responses to austerity ‘in the round’, using a governance perspective. The methodology was innovative, using principles of ‘action research’ and ‘appreciative inquiry’ to design the research collaboratively with Nottingham City Council. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2012 and 2014, including a document review, 34 interviews and two workshops with frontline staff, as well as informal participant observation. The approach aimed to deliver academic rigour, as well as useful findings for practitioners addressing challenges in the field. Taking the locality of Nottingham as an exploratory and revelatory embedded single case study, the analysis combines insights from new institutionalist and interpretive theory. It demonstrates that although the council showed institutional resilience, and was able to maintain a wide range of services, spending cuts were creating pressure to change both the ‘practices’ and ‘narratives’ underpinning service delivery. Tensions in some service delivery partnerships suggested shifts in local ‘traditions’ of governance, viewed by some actors as symptomatic of a wider change in the values underpinning governance institutions. Meanwhile the council was increasingly focussed on strategic forms of community leadership, whilst links with local communities were diminishing. Working with partners, the council had (at least temporarily) mitigated a dramatic reduction in income. Yet although change in service delivery was incremental, the potential for transformation in local governance was clear. These findings are shown to have consistencies with wider comparative studies. Policy implications are discussed for the 2015 Conservative government, as it implements a further round of austerity-related cuts

How are local public services responding to austerity?: English local governance between 2010 and 2015

This thesis explores how English councils and their public service partners responded to the UK Coalition government’s ‘austerity’-related spending cuts between 2010 and 2015. The research is distinctive in moving beyond a focus on the impacts of cuts to individual services, instead considering responses to austerity ‘in the round’, using a governance perspective. The methodology was innovative, using principles of ‘action research’ and ‘appreciative inquiry’ to design the research collaboratively with Nottingham City Council. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2012 and 2014, including a document review, 34 interviews and two workshops with frontline staff, as well as informal participant observation. The approach aimed to deliver academic rigour, as well as useful findings for practitioners addressing challenges in the field. Taking the locality of Nottingham as an exploratory and revelatory embedded single case study, the analysis combines insights from new institutionalist and interpretive theory. It demonstrates that although the council showed institutional resilience, and was able to maintain a wide range of services, spending cuts were creating pressure to change both the ‘practices’ and ‘narratives’ underpinning service delivery. Tensions in some service delivery partnerships suggested shifts in local ‘traditions’ of governance, viewed by some actors as symptomatic of a wider change in the values underpinning governance institutions. Meanwhile the council was increasingly focussed on strategic forms of community leadership, whilst links with local communities were diminishing. Working with partners, the council had (at least temporarily) mitigated a dramatic reduction in income. Yet although change in service delivery was incremental, the potential for transformation in local governance was clear. These findings are shown to have consistencies with wider comparative studies. Policy implications are discussed for the 2015 Conservative government, as it implements a further round of austerity-related cuts

Capillary flow characteristics of an autogenic and autonomic healing agent for self-healing concrete

Capillary flow through discrete cracks is the main mechanism by which healing agents embedded within cementitious matrices travel to zones of damage to afford the host matrix a healing ability. However, the nature of the interaction between the healing agents in their fluid state and the host matrix is unknown and may limit the ability to predict the behaviour and efficacy of self-healing systems. This study considers the capillary flow characteristics of a low viscosity cyanoacrylate and Ground Granulated Blast Furnace slag in a water suspension using glass capillaries and channels formed from a range of concrete mixes. Both healing agents conformed closely to Poiseuille’s law and experienced increases in viscosity over the 40 minute period that they were exposed to a cementitious environment. Numerical simulations of the capillary rise response of the healing agents in a discrete crack confirmed that the rate of damage and degree of saturation of the concrete element will have a significant influence on the choice of healing agent in the design of self-healing systems

Blue cone monochromacy: causative mutations and associated phenotypes.

PurposeTo perform a phenotypic assessment of members of three British families with blue cone monochromatism (BCM), and to determine the underlying molecular genetic basis of disease.MethodsAffected members of three British families with BCM were examined clinically and underwent detailed electrophysiological and psychophysical testing. Blood samples were taken for DNA extraction. Molecular analysis involved the amplification of the coding regions of the long (L) and medium (M) wave cone opsin genes and the upstream locus control region (LCR) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Gene products were directly sequenced and analyzed.ResultsIn all three families, genetic analysis identified that the underlying cause of BCM involved an unequal crossover within the opsin gene array, with an inactivating mutation. Family 1 had a single 5'-L-M-3' hybrid gene, with an inactivating Cys203Arg (C203R) mutation. Family 3 had an array composed of a C203R inactivated 5'-L-M-3' hybrid gene followed by a second inactive gene. Families 1 and 3 had typical clinical, electrophysiological, and psychophysical findings consistent with stationary BCM. A novel mutation was detected in Family 2 that had a single hybrid gene lacking exon 2. This family presented clinical and psychophysical evidence of a slowly progressive phenotype.ConclusionsTwo of the BCM-causing family genotypes identified in this study comprised different hybrid genes, each of which contained the commonly described C203R inactivating mutation. The genotype in the family with evidence of a slowly progressive phenotype represents a novel BCM mutation. The deleted exon 2 in this family is not predicted to result in a shift in the reading frame, therefore we hypothesize that an abnormal opsin protein product may accumulate and lead to cone cell loss over time. This is the first report of slow progression associated with this class of mutation in the L or M opsin genes in BCM