Adventures in Student Interaction: Planned and Unplanned Audience Engagement

We like noisy classrooms, but it can be a challenge to get students to make that noise. Classrooms can be face-to-face sessions or in the virtual space and while the challenges are different in different environments, we have found that blending the virtual and face-to-face classroom often leads to collaborative student learning communities. In this session we share some of the tips and tricks that we have used to engage students in forming collaborative learning communities. While some of the tricks are in face-to-face teaching, we also use online technology and assessments to foster student collaboration along with problem-based learning. We have used planned and spontaneous activities to allow for flexible learning to engage with student audiences and we discuss here the value of both. We will invite some of our students to share their experiences of engagement in the face-to-face and virtual classroom. For much of this session delegates will engage in planning their own noisy classrooms and will share practice about how we foster group working and the technology that we use regularly. Technology included Slack forums, audience interaction software, Twitter and Moodle

The perception and cognition of emotion from motion

Emotional expression has been intensively researched in the past, however, this research was normally conducted on facial expressions and only seldomly on dynamic stimuli. We have been interested in better understanding the perception and cognition of emotion from human motion. To this end 11 experiments were conducted that spanned the perception and representation of emotion, the role spatial and temporal cues played in the perception of emotions and finally high level cognitive features in the categorisation of emotion. The stimuli we employed were point-light displays of human arm movements recorded as actors portrayed ordinary actions with emotion. To create them we used motion capture technology and computer animation techniques. Results from the first two experiments showed basic human competence in recognition of emotion and that the representation of emotions is along two dimensions. These dimensions resembled arousal and valence, and the psychological space resembled that found for both facial expression and experienced affect. In a search for possible stimulus properties that would act as correlates for the dimensions, it emerged that arousal could be accounted for by movement speed while valence was related to phase relations between joints in the displays. In the third experiment we manipulated the dimension of arousal and showed that through a modulation of duration, perception of angry, sad and neutral movements could be modulated. In experiments 4-7 the contribution of spatial cues to the perception of emotion was explored and in the final set of experiments (8-11) perception of emotion was examined from a cognitive perspective. Through the course of the research a number of interesting findings emerged that suggested three primary directions for future research: the possible relationship between attributions of animacy and emotion to animate and inanimate non-humans. The phase or timing relationships between elements in a display as a categorical cue to valence and finally the unexplored relationship between cues to emotion from movements and faces

Using Open Access Peer-Reviews and Pre-Printed Submissions to Improve Students’ Comprehension of Academic Writing

One of the most difficult challenges that novice learners face is to read and assess verbose, complex journal articles, filled with a mix of subject-specific jargon and intricate analyses, challenged with understanding the terminology as well as the general concepts of the work. A recent blog captures this frustration, stating, “Nothing makes you feel stupid quite like reading scientific journal article” (Ruben, 2016); whilst a follow on looks to alleviate this issue by offering insights from experienced professionals on how best to approach articles (Pain, 2016). Yet while numerous rubrics exist for improving general structuring and writing (Derntl, 2014; Hillier et al., 2016; Kording and Mensh, 2016), few if any exist on how to improve conceptual understanding; a key skill required for students to support their own academic writing with evidence-based literature. We looked to address this issue by creating a mock ‘peer-review’ assessment as part of a portfolio of skills in our Masters-level conversion course; a cohort faced with the stern challenge of having to rapidly, and independently, learn to read and comprehend academic writing from a novel discipline over a relatively short time-span. Our approach involved three stages. First a brief explanation of the peer-review process using freely available online materials from publishers (e.g. Wiley, PLOS). Next an analytical discussion of open access peer-reviews of published articles (via PeerJ, Royal Society Open Science); i.e. a learn-by-example approach. Finally, the student’s own mock peer-review of one of three open access pre-printed journal articles (via PeerJ, PsyArXiv, etc) with specific guidelines to focus on the key aspects of theory, methodology and readability. Here we present qualitative and quantitative feedback from the students as regards to how this task improved their ability to understand complex academic writing, and how it has altered their approach to reading such articles in future

Adventures in Student Interaction: Planned and Unplanned Audience Engagement

We like noisy classrooms, but it can be a challenge to get students to make that noise. Classrooms can be face-to-face sessions or in the virtual space and while the challenges are different in different environments, we have found that blending the virtual and face-to-face classroom often leads to collaborative student learning communities. In this session we share some of the tips and tricks that we have used to engage students in forming collaborative learning communities. While some of the tricks are in face-to-face teaching, we also use online technology and assessments to foster student collaboration along with problem-based learning. We have used planned and spontaneous activities to allow for flexible learning to engage with student audiences and we discuss here the value of both. We will invite some of our students to share their experiences of engagement in the face-to-face and virtual classroom. For much of this session delegates will engage in planning their own noisy classrooms and will share practice about how we foster group working and the technology that we use regularly. Technology included Slack forums, audience interaction software, Twitter and Moodle

Sharing practice on framing feedback around student development

In this article we share practical and evidence-based advice on framing assessment feedback around student development. The practices that we share are centred on two aspects of framing feedback. The first is in how feedback is generated and how the teacher can author effective feedback by making it personal, situated within the student’s learning journey and by providing actionable points for the next assignment. The second aspect that we share is the framing of feedback in relation to student reflection and use of the feedback, scaffolding the development of a dialogue between student and teacher, and helping the student to situate their assignment and feedback within their own wider learning journey. Ultimately, we want students to find feedback useful and for feedback to represent a positive interaction between teacher and student, but both teachers and students need tools that help them to create usable feedback

Low vocal pitch preference drives first impressions irrespective of context in male voices but not in female voices

Vocal pitch has been found to influence judgments of perceived trustworthiness and dominance from a novel voice. However, the majority of findings arise from using only male voices and in context-specific scenarios. In two experiments, we first explore the influence of average vocal pitch on first-impression judgments of perceived trustworthiness and dominance, before establishing the existence of an overall preference for high or low pitch across genders. In Experiment 1, pairs of high- and low-pitched temporally reversed recordings of male and female vocal utterances were presented in a two-alternative forced-choice task. Results revealed a tendency to select the low-pitched voice over the high-pitched voice as more trustworthy, for both genders, and more dominant, for male voices only. Experiment 2 tested an overall preference for low-pitched voices, and whether judgments were modulated by speech content, using forward and reversed speech to manipulate context. Results revealed an overall preference for low pitch, irrespective of direction of speech, in male voices only. No such overall preference was found for female voices. We propose that an overall preference for low pitch is a default prior in male voices irrespective of context, whereas pitch preferences in female voices are more context- and situation-dependent. The present study confirms the important role of vocal pitch in the formation of first-impression personality judgments and advances understanding of the impact of context on pitch preferences across genders

Fungi from a groundwater-fed drinking water supply system in Brazil

Filamentous fungi in drinking water distribution systems are known to (a) block water pipes; (b) cause organoleptic biodeterioration; (c) act as pathogens or allergens and (d) cause mycotoxin contamination. Yeasts might also cause problems. This study describes the occurrence of several fungal species in a water distribution system supplied by groundwater in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. Water samples were collected from four sampling sites from which fungi were recovered by membrane filtration. The numbers in all sampling sites ranged from 5 to 207 colony forming units (CFU)/100 mL with a mean value of 53 CFU/100 mL. In total, 859 isolates were identified morphologically, with Aspergillus and Penicillium the most representative genera (37% and 25% respectively), followed by Trichoderma and Fusarium (9% each), Curvularia (5%) and finally the species Pestalotiopsis karstenii (2%). Ramichloridium and Leptodontium were isolated and are black yeasts, a group that include emergent pathogens. The drinking water system in Recife may play a role in fungal dissemination, including opportunistic pathogens.The authors acknowledge the collaboration of the Environmental Sanitation Laboratory CTG, especially Mario Kato who provided TOC analysis. The authors thank Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior-Capes in Brazil for the financial support

Diseño de experiencia en la cadena del turismo

El trabajo realizado por el Centro de Diseño Industrial en la región está detallado en un informe que se dio en llamar “Diseño de experiencia en la cadena del turismo”, el cual presenta las acciones y la metodología empleada. El documento se centra en las necesidades del turista como usuario de servicios y en las experiencias por ellos vividas. Además busca capitalizar el potencial del diseño para observar las diferentes realidades (mediante técnicas etnográficas) y detectar oportunidades, en este caso ligadas al desarrollo productivo industrial de la región. Otro aspecto relevante tiene que ver con visualizar capacidades y la posibilidad de motorizar acciones que las potencien a partir del trabajo colaborativo. La metodología utilizada, conjuga acciones de indagación y relevamiento por diferentes medios, análisis crítico de la información tanto cuantitativa como cualitativa y la síntesis para poder sacar conclusiones y realizar propuestas que sean factibles de implementar en el territorio. Para ello se realizaron una serie de aproximaciones de manera de obtener información de diversas fuentes, de primera mano y poder procesarla de manera gráfica. En este sentido se realizaron charlas, se tomaron registros fotográficos y fílmicos, se realizaron entrevistas y reuniones con actores clave, visita a empresas o emprendimientos relacionados con la temática, se relevó la información disponible sobre el turismo y la región (en internet y en diferentes soportes), y se analizaron los diferentes tipos de usuarios o turistas. Toda esta información se encuentra procesada y reordenada en la publicación «Diseño de experiencia en la cadena del turismo». A partir del relevamiento territorial se realizó un documento gráfico de oportunidades detectadas (que es la mencionada publicación), se elaboró una base de datos con los actores locales y experiencias, y se diseñó un mapa de recursos regional (actores, capacidades y experiencias). Por último y con la idea de dar continuidad y poder desarrollar las oportunidades detectadas se presentaron una serie de propuesta para llevar adelante en el territorio.Eje temático: Turismo cultural: experiencia y desarrollo comunitari

Fungos nas águas de consumo: qual a sua relevância?

A presença de fungos filamentosos na água potável tomou-se uma área importante de investigação com vários estudos agora a serem publicados. Os problemas associados com fungos neste sistema continuam a ser 1) o bloqueio das tubulações de água, 2) a deterioração organolépticas, 3) os fungos patogénicos e 4) as micotoxinas. Contudo, a formação de biofilmes fiíngicos em sistemas de abastecimento de água é um campo menos desenvolvido do estudo. Neste trabalho apresentam-se os últimos resultados da investigação desenvolvida sobre fungos na água potável na rede de abastecimento de água do Alto do Céu, Recite, Pernambuco, que consiste num novo sistema para o estudo de fungos em biofilmes estabelecidos no Brasil. O trabalho experimental envolveu o desenvolvimento de um sistema de amostradores de PVC com cupões colocados nas secções das tubulações da rede de abastecimento de água. Os biofilmes furam estabelecidos in situ e puderam ser observado diretamente por microscopia de epiflurescência e de confocal após terem sido sujeitos a colorações por calcojluor para a identificação de estruturas fongicas, FUNI para a viabilidade e com as sondas genéticas para o domínio Eukarya EUK516 (5'ACCAGACITGCCCTCC- 3', MWG Biotech, Ebersberg, Alemanha) e para o domínio Eumycota FUN1429 (5'GTGATGTACTCGCTGGCC- 3 ·, MWG Biotech, Ebersberg, Alemanha) para confirmação por hibridização fluorescente in situ (FISH) da presença de fongos. O sistema aqui apresentado foi utilizado para (I) mimetizar as reais condições da rede de água e ainda assim ser direta para inserir e manipular os cupões, (2) ser conveniente para o transporte e armazenamento das secções para posterior estudo, (3) manter a integridade do biofilme e (4) permitir análises in situ dos biofilmes dentro das tubulações. Os resultados obtidos mostram a presença de fungos plantônicos nas águas de consumo bem como a sua presença nos biofilmes. A estrutura, viabilidade e diversidade dos fongos presentes nos biofilmes foram estudados e confirmada a sua relevância na formação dos biofilmes das tubulações dos sistemas de distribuição de água de consumo