Creating and using corpora: A principled approach to identifying key language within art & design

A considerable body of research points to the importance of lexical knowledge for students studying, working and communicating in a second language (Carver, 1994; Hu and Nation, 2000; Schmitt and Schmitt, 2014), but decisions regarding which lexis to prioritise can be difficult. Although there are many books aimed at teaching English for Academic Purposes (EAP), the language of and for art and design is conspicuous by its absence. Tutors face challenges in identifying relevant input texts and then creating appropriate language materials for students. This article shows how corpus-informed approaches can aid in the identification and selection of lexis, with relevant art and design-related words and phrases through which they can communicate their ideas and engage with their discourse communities

UnGrading, Supporting our Students Through a Pedagogy of Care

The awarding of grades or marks to student work is traditionally considered a fundamental feature of assessment. Grades became more widely established in the twentieth century becoming ubiquitous across most educational institutions. There is increasing evidence to suggest that grades are not effective tools for promoting or measuring learning. One alternative approach for promoting and measuring learning is Ungrading, in which no letter grades or marks are given to students. Instead, they are replaced with formative feedback provided through strategies such as individual feedback, peer review and self-assessment. An Ungrading approach promises increased learner motivation, a reduction in stress, and enhanced learner independence. It also helps to develop an improved teacher/learner relationship and opens up new course design possibilities. This paper presents a background to traditional grading policies to set a context. It continues with an introduction to the topic of Ungrading with a brief explanation and rationale for its selection. We ask the question, can Ungrading support a new pedagogy of care for the future of online education? The paper concludes by suggesting strategies for the effective implementation of Ungrading in undergraduate classes to support diverse learner needs

Ungrading Uncovered: How Going Gradeless Can Support Learner Diversity in Higher Education

The awarding of grades or marks to student work is traditionally considered a fundamental feature of assessment. Traditional grades, the awarding of numeric values to student work, date back to the 1600s where Harvard used exit grades to measure and categorize students (Smallwood, 1935). Grades became more widely established in the education sector at the beginning of the twentieth century to deal with increased numbers of students and as a means of communication between educational institutions and third parties, a form of universal measurement. Although becoming ubiquitous across most educational spectrums in the second half of the twentieth century, there is mounting evidence to suggest that grades are not effective tools for measuring learning. A number of institutions and individual practitioners have moved away from grading in the hope of improving motivation, collaboration and lifelong learning for their students (Brilleslyper, et al., 2012) (White & Fantone, 2014) (Sackstein, 2015) (Beckie, 2019). With calls for a ‘Pedagogy of Care’ (Bali, 2020) and a decolonising of curriculum (Begum, & Saini, 2019) new approaches are being explored to replace traditional grading practices., One alternative approach is ungrading, , in which no letter grades or marks are given to students, has gained momentum. Recent literature (Blum, 2017) (Gibbs, 2019) suggests that ungrading increases motivation reduces stress, enhances independence, helps form new learning habits, makes room for creative work, promotes better communication, and opens up new course design possibilities. Strategies to go gradeless include providing plentiful formative feedback, facilitating peer and self-assessment, teaching students metacognitive skills through reflection, and (if the academic institution requires a final grade) allowing students to grade themselves (Stommel, 2018) (Sackstein, 2015) (Stommel, 2017). The involvement of students as partners in assessment has been shown to enhance motivation, self-critical learning, and performance (Logan, 2009) (Ndoye, 2017) (Panadero & Al-Qassab, 2019). This paper presents three case studies(action research) based on the delivery of undergraduate modules in an Irish Higher education setting using an ‘Ungrading’ approach The 3 case studies describe activities that took place during the 2020-2021 academic year, in the midst of the global Covid pandemic. Two of the modules are from the Creative Digital Media BA Programme, (Multimedia Development 1 & Web Development 2) and a module in IT & Professional Development as part of a BSc in Horticulture. Each case study will detail the rationale for choosing ungrading, mechanics for delivery and reflection based on qualitative feedback from the three practitioners and student cohorts. The paper concludes by suggesting strategies for the effective implementation of ungrading in undergraduate classes to support diverse learner needs

Insessional EAP: English for Graphic Design

Presentation of research into the specific aspects of the discourse of graphic design and the implications analysis of key terminology has for the production of materials for use in the language classroom and beyond at UAL

Bovine milk oligosaccharides as anti-adhesives against the respiratory tract pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae

peer-reviewedStreptococcus pneumoniae is a Gram-positive pathogen, which is regularly found in the upper respiratory tract of healthy individuals. Increased numbers of S. pneumoniae have been observed colonising the upper respiratory tract of children affected by respiratory tract infections. Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ1-3Gal has been previously identified as one of the receptors involved in the adherence and translocation of S. pneumoniae. As this structure is similar to the milk oligosaccharide lacto-N-neoTetraose, many studies have investigated if free milk oligosaccharides can inhibit the adhesion of S. pneumoniae to epithelial cells of the respiratory tract. Here, we demonstrate that bovine oligosaccharides, which were extracted from demineralised whey, using a combination of membrane filtration and chromatography, were capable of reducing S. pneumoniae adhesion to pharynx and lung cells in vitro when tested at physiological concentrations. This study strengthens the potential use of bovine derived milk oligosaccharides as functional ingredients to reduce the incidence of infectious diseases

Oligosaccharides Isolated from MGO™ Manuka Honey Inhibit the Adhesion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia Coli O157:H7 and Staphylococcus Aureus to Human HT-29 cells

peer-reviewedHistorically, honey is known for its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activities and its use for treatment of wound infections. Although this practice has been in place for millennia, little information exists regarding which manuka honey components contribute to the protective nature of this product. Given that sugar accounts for over 80% of honey and up to 25% of this sugar is composed of oligosaccharides, we have investigated the anti-infective activity of manuka honey oligosaccharides against a range of pathogens. Initially, oligosaccharides were extracted from a commercially-available New Zealand manuka honey—MGO™ Manuka Honey (Manuka Health New Zealand Ltd.)—and characterized by High pH anion exchange chromatography coupled with pulsed amperiometric detection. The adhesion of specific pathogens to the human colonic adenocarcinoma cell line, HT-29, was then assessed in the presence and absence of these oligosaccharides. Manuka honey oligosaccharides significantly reduced the adhesion of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (by 40%), Staphylococcus aureus (by 30%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (by 52%) to HT-29 cells. This activity was then proven to be concentration dependent and independent of bacterial killing. This study identifies MGO™ Manuka Honey as a source of anti-infective oligosaccharides for applications in functional foods aimed at lowering the incidence of infectious diseases

Exposure of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis to Milk Oligosaccharides Increases Adhesion to Epithelial Cells and Induces a Substantial Transcriptional Response

Devon Kavanaugh is in receipt of a Teagasc Walsh Fellowship. The authors would also like to acknowledge the support of Science Foundation Ireland under Grant No. 08/SRC/B1393 and the Alimentary Glycoscience Research Cluster (AGRC).peer-reviewedIn this study, we tested the hypothesis that milk oligosaccharides may contribute not only to selective growth of bifidobacteria, but also to their specific adhesive ability. Human milk oligosaccharides (3′sialyllactose and 6′sialyllactose) and a commercial prebiotic (Beneo Orafti P95; oligofructose) were assayed for their ability to promote adhesion of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis ATCC 15697 to HT-29 and Caco-2 human intestinal cells. Treatment with the commercial prebiotic or 3′sialyllactose did not enhance adhesion. However, treatment with 6′sialyllactose resulted in increased adhesion (4.7 fold), while treatment with a mixture of 3′- and 6′-sialyllactose substantially increased adhesion (9.8 fold) to HT-29 intestinal cells. Microarray analyses were subsequently employed to investigate the transcriptional response of B. longum subsp. infantis to the different oligosaccharide treatments. This data correlated strongly with the observed changes in adhesion to HT-29 cells. The combination of 3′- and 6′-sialyllactose resulted in the greatest response at the genetic level (both in diversity and magnitude) followed by 6′sialyllactose, and 3′sialyllactose alone. The microarray data was further validated by means of real-time PCR. The current findings suggest that the increased adherence phenotype of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis resulting from exposure to milk oligosaccharides is multi-faceted, involving transcription factors, chaperone proteins, adhesion-related proteins, and a glycoside hydrolase. This study gives additional insight into the role of milk oligosaccharides within the human intestine and the molecular mechanisms underpinning host-microbe interactions.Science Foundation IrelandTeagasc Walsh Fellowship Programm