Adult learner engagement with learning supports in a blended learning environment in Irish insurance education

This case study reports on the results and experiences of adult learner engagement when using learning supports within a blended learning environment (BLE) in Irish insurance education. Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive research focusing on this area in the professional education sector. This research is of interest to educators who offer a blended ‘bricks and clicks’ model to adult learners within either a professional or a higher education programme. For instance, this blended learning approach model is used at an increased frequency by modern professional education with education programmes shifting from a tutor-centred to more learner-centred approach. From an Irish higher education perspective, the Hunt Report (2011) comments that there is an increasing need for the provision of educational opportunities that differ significantly from the traditional model. Research demonstrates that active adult learner engagement with learning supports in a blended learning environment increases the chances of exam success (Griffin, 2014). Nonetheless, adult learner engagement with both types of learning supports (i.e. face-to-face and in the cloud) varies for The Insurance Institute of Ireland in using this model. This case study, designed from the perspective of an adult learner highlights active and passive engagement with learning supports, levels of satisfaction, attitude and value towards learning supports and post-reflective thoughts towards engagement. The module MDI-01 Insurance and Business Law is used as a case study within the Management Diploma in Insurance (MDI) programme. The case study is supported with both qualitative and quantitative research from 58 professional learners’ engagement over a twentyweek academic term. The results demonstrate that adult learners may differentially prefer certain learning supports in each learning environment or incur certain challenges in engaging with the face-to-face supports. As such, each adult learner tailors their level of engagement to accommodate their learning style and overcome these barriers. From this, the two archetypal environments in the blended learning model can complement each other and accommodate the different learning styles that are inherent to each individual adult learner

A Case Study Analysis of Student Engagement and Experiences within a Blended Learning Environment in Irish Insurance Education

This study reports on the results of active student engagement and experiences in using learning supports within a blended learning environment (BLE) in the Irish insurance sector. Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive research focusing on this topic in the professional education sector. This paper is of interest to e-learning developers and educators who currently offer or are considering changing an education programme to a blended ‘bricks and clicks’ model, as well as those who want to consider how students can effectively engage in a BLE. From an Irish perspective, the Hunt Report (2011) comments that there is an increasing need for the provision of educational opportunities that differ significantly from the traditional model. The paper highlights that blended learning can be an alternative model to the traditional approach provided the correct supports are in place. The two archetypal learning environments can complement each other and accommodate the different learning styles that contribute to student examination success. Insights are drawn from instructor experience in delivering a blended learning programme to professional learners over a 20-week academic term. This experience is supported with both qualitative and quantitative research, the results of which demonstrate a positive correlation in a BLE between active engagement and examination success for students. Crucially, an iterative process of communication between educator and student is key to enhancing the BLE

Low zinc status and absorption exist in infants with jejunostomies or ileostomies which persists after intestinal repair.

There is very little data regarding trace mineral nutrition in infants with small intestinal ostomies. Here we evaluated 14 infants with jejunal or ileal ostomies to measure their zinc absorption and retention and biochemical zinc and copper status. Zinc absorption was measured using a dual-tracer stable isotope technique at two different time points when possible. The first study was conducted when the subject was receiving maximal tolerated feeds enterally while the ostomy remained in place. A second study was performed as soon as feasible after full feeds were achieved after intestinal repair. We found biochemical evidence of deficiencies of both zinc and copper in infants with small intestinal ostomies at both time points. Fractional zinc absorption with an ostomy in place was 10.9% ± 5.3%. After reanastamosis, fractional zinc absorption was 9.4% ± 5.7%. Net zinc balance was negative prior to reanastamosis. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that infants with a jejunostomy or ileostomy are at high risk for zinc and copper deficiency before and after intestinal reanastamosis. Additional supplementation, especially of zinc, should be considered during this time period

Spectral Type and Radial Velocity Variations in Three SRC Variables

SRC variables are M supergiants, precursors to Type II supernovae, that vary in brightness with moderately regular periods of order 100-1000 days. Although identified as pulsating stars that obey their own period-luminosity relation, few have been examined in enough detail to follow the temperature and spectral changes that they undergo during their long cycles. The present study examines such changes for several SRC variables revealed by CCD spectra obtained at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory (DAO) during 2005-2009, as well as by archival spectra from the DAO (and elsewhere) for some stars from the 1960s to 1980s, and Cambridge radial velocity spectrometer measures for Betelgeuse. Described here is our classification procedure and information on the spectral type and radial velocity changes in three of the stars. The results provide insights into the pulsation mechanism in M supergiants.Comment: To appear in the Odessa Variable Stars 2010 conference proceedings (see http://uavso.org.ua/?page=vs2010), edited by I. Andronov and V. Kovtyuk

Generating Utilization Vectors for the Systematic Evaluation of Schedulability Tests

—This paper introduces the Dirichlet-Rescale (DRS) algorithm. The DRS algorithm provides an efficient general-purpose method of generating n-dimensional vectors of components (e.g. task utilizations), where the components sum to a specified total, each component conforms to individual constraints on the maximum and minimum values that it can take, and the vectors are uniformly distributed over the valid region of the domain of all possible vectors, bounded by the constraints. The DRS algorithm can be used to improve the nuance and quality of empirical studies into the effectiveness of schedulability tests for real-time systems; potentially making them more realistic, and leading to new conclusions. It is efficient enough for use in large-scale studies where millions of task sets need to be generated. Further, the constraints on individual task utilizations can be used for fine-grained control of task set parameters enabling more detailed exploration of schedulability test behavior. Finally, the real power of the algorithm lies in the fact that it can be applied recursively, with one vector acting as a set of constraints for the next. This is particularly useful in task set generation for mixed criticality systems and multi-core systems, where task utilizations are either multi-valued or can be decomposed into multiple constituent part

Affective Outcomes of Group versus Lone Green Exercise Participation

‘Green exercise’ (being physically active within a natural environment) research has examined the influence of environmental setting on health and wellbeing-related exercise outcomes. However, it is not known whether social exercise settings influence green exercise-associated changes in mood, self-esteem, and connection to nature. This study directly compared outcomes of participating in green exercise alone compared to in a group. Using repeated measures, counterbalanced and randomized-crossover design, participants (n = 40) completed two 3 km runs around sports fields. These fields had a relatively flat grass terrain, predominant view of trees, and open grassland. On one occasion participants ran alone and on the other they ran in a group of 4–5 participants. Questionnaire measures of mood, self-esteem, and connection to nature were completed immediately pre- and post-run. Across all of the measures, two-way mixed ANOVAs found that there were statistically significant effects for time but not for time-by-condition interactions. The simplest interpretation of this finding is that social setting does not influence individuals’ attainment of the psychological outcomes of green exercise participation. However, we discuss the possibility that more complex processes might underpin this finding

Flaunting it on Facebook: Young adults, drinking cultures and the cult of celebrity

Copyright © Antonia Lyons; Tim McCreanor; Fiona Hutton; Ian Goodwin; Helen Moewaka Barnes; Christine Griffin; Kerryellen Vroman; Acushla Dee O’Carroll; Patricia Niland; Lina Samu Print publication available from: http://www.drinkingcultures.info/Young adults in Aotearoa/New Zealand (NZ) regularly engage in heavy drinking episodes with groups of friends within a collective culture of intoxication to ‘have fun’ and ‘be sociable’. This population has also rapidly increased their use of new social networking technologies (e.g. mobile camera/ video phones; Facebook and YouTube) and are said to be obsessed with identity, image and celebrity. This research project explored the ways in which new technologies are being used by a range of young people (and others, including marketers) in drinking practices and drinking cultures in Aotearoa/NZ. It also explored how these technologies impact on young adults’ behaviours and identities, and how this varies across young adults of diverse ethnicities (Maori [indigenous people of NZ], Pasifika [people descended from the Pacific Islands] and Pakeha [people of European descent]), social classes and genders. We collected data from a large and diverse sample of young adults aged 18-25 years employing novel and innovative methodologies across three data collection stages. In total 141 participants took part in 34 friendship focus group discussions (12 Pakeha, 12 Maori and 10 Pasifika groups) while 23 young adults showed and discussed their Facebook pages during an individual interview that involved screencapture software and video recordings. Popular online material regarding drinking alcohol was also collected (via groups, interviews, and web searches), providing a database of 487 links to relevant material (including websites, apps, and games). Critical and in-depth qualitative analyses across these multimodal datasets were undertaken. Key findings demonstrated that social technologies play a crucial role in young adults’ drinking cultures and processes of identity construction. Consuming alcohol to a point of intoxication was a commonplace leisure-time activity for most of the young adult participants, and social network technologies were fully integrated into their drinking cultures. Facebook was employed by all participants and was used before, during and following drinking episodes. Uploading and sharing photos on Facebook was particularly central to young people’s drinking cultures and the ongoing creation of their identities. This involved a great deal of Facebook ‘work’ to ensure appropriate identity displays such as tagging (the addition of explanatory or identifying labels) and untagging photos. Being visible online was crucial for many young adults, and they put significant amounts of time and energy into updating and maintaining Facebook pages, particularly with material regarding drinking practices and events. However this was not consistent across the sample, and our findings revealed nuanced and complex ways in which people from different ethnicities, genders and social classes engaged with drinking cultures and new technologies in different ways, reflecting their positioning within the social structure. Pakeha shared their drinking practices online with relatively little reflection, while Pasifika and Maori participants were more likely to discuss avoiding online displays of drinking and demonstrated greater reflexive self-surveillance. Females spoke of being more aware of normative expectations around gender than males, and described particular forms of online identity displays (e.g. moderated intake, controlled selfdetermination). Participants from upper socio-economic groups expressed less concern than others about both drinking and posting material online. Celebrity culture was actively engaged with, in part at least, as a means of expressing what it is to be a young adult in contemporary society, and reinforcing the need for young people to engage in their own everyday practices of ‘celebritising’ themselves through drinking cultures online. Alcohol companies employed social media to market their products to young people in sophisticated ways that meant the campaigns and actions were rarely perceived as marketing. Online alcohol marketing initiatives were actively appropriated by young people and reproduced within their Facebook pages to present tastes and preferences, facilitate social interaction, construct identities, and more generally develop cultural capital. These commercial activities within the commercial platforms that constitute social networking systems contribute heavily to a general ‘culture of intoxication’ while simultaneously allowing young people to ‘create’ and ‘produce’ themselves online via the sharing of consumption ‘choices’, online interactions and activities

Persistent identification and citation of software

This work has been funded by Jisc in the Research@Risk scheme.Software underpins the academic research process across disciplines. To be able to understand, use/reuse and preserve data, the software code that generated, analysed or presented the data will need to be retained and executed. An important part of this process is being able to persistently identify the software concerned. This paper discusses the reasons for doing so and introduces a model of software entities to enable better identification of what is being identified. The DataCite metadata schema provides a persistent identification scheme and we consider how this scheme can be applied to software. We then explore examples of persistent identification and reuse. The examples show the differences and similarities of software used in academic research, which has been written and reused at different scales. The key concepts of being able to identify what precisely is being used and provide a mechanism for appropriate credit are important to both of them.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe