(M)OOCs in Iceland: Language and learning communities

The paper was originally presented at the HOME conference in Rome November 30 2015. http://home.eadtu.eu/news/98-conference-wow-europe-embraces-moocs. Authors were invited to submit a more developed paper for peer review to be presented in this report. This relates to policy work on European MOOCs see e.g. http://home.eadtu.eu/news/109-policy-forum-on-european-moocsAn overview is given of experiences of MOOCs in Iceland. An open online Icelandic language course from 2004 at the University of Iceland (UI) has been popular and remains open. A work group, formed in 2013 by the president of the UI, analysed the MOOC landscape and gathered data about students' use of MOOCs and OERs. Recommendations included trialling integration of international MOOCs in UI courses. In 2014, opportunities for participation in MOOCs were provided in four courses, in some cases as group activity with discussion of experiences. Other developments include a 2015 open online course for professional development on ICT in teaching and learning. Over 300 teachers were registered and emphasis was on the use of social media and supporting a learning community. Results from these cases indicate importance of MOOCs for professional development but the role of language, culture and learning communities needs further attention.University of Iceland, Sáttmálasjóður. HOME - Higher education Online: MOOCs the European way, project supported by the European Commission, DG EAC, under the Lifelong Learning Programme (Ref. 543516-LLP-1-2013-1-NL-KA3-KA3NW).Peer Reviewe

Upplýsingatækni í skólastarfi

Í þessum kafla er er lýst þeim hluta rannsóknarinnar á starfsháttum í grunnskólum þar sem markmiðið var að skoða áhrif upplýsingatækni á nám og kennslu. Upplýsingatækni er ætlað að gegna lykilhlutverki í skólastarfi og þróun nútímaskóla og tengist í raun öllum sex stoðum rannsóknarinnar: viðhorfastoð, námsumhverfisstoð, stjórnunarstoð, kennarastoð, nemendastoð og foreldra- og samfélagsstoð. Rannsóknarhópur tengdur námsumhverfisstoð skipulagði og vann að þessum verkhluta, en jafnframt studdi Rannsóknarstofa í upplýsingatækni og miðlun (RANNUM) við verkið með öflun styrkja og kynningarstarfi. Niðurstöður sem tengjast sérstaklega rafrænni stjórnsýslu og notkun Mentors hafa birst áður í greinum og meistaraprófsritgerðum (Bergþóra Þórhallsdóttir, 2011; Bryndís Ásta Böðvarsdóttir, 2010a; Bryndís Ásta Böðvarsdóttir, 2010b; Bryndís Ásta Böðvarsdóttir og Sólveig Jakobsdóttir, 2010). Í kaflanum er fjallað um baksvið og fræðilegan grunn, greint stuttlega frá framkvæmd gagnaöflunar um þátt upplýsingatækni í námi og kennslu og niðurstöður raktar. Að lokum eru helstu niðurstöður teknar saman og ræddar, greint frá áhugaverðri þróun og nýrri tækni sem nú ryður sér til rúms í skólastarfi og loks reifaðir ýmsir framtíðarmöguleikar í því ljósi.RANNÍS, Háskóli Ísland

Genetics of age-related maculopathy & Score statistics for X-linked quantitative trait loci

Age-related maculopathy (ARM) is a common cause of irreparable vision loss in industrialized countries. The disease is characterized by progressive loss of central vision making everyday tasks challenging. The etiology is complex and has both an environmental and a strong genetic components. The public health relevance of the work is to improve the understanding genetic causes in the disease etiology and ultimately to lead to better disease management and prevention. From my ARM work, I present four papers covering range of statistical approaches. The first paper presents fine-mapping efforts, using both linkage and association methods, under previously identified linkage peaks on chromosomes 1q31 and 10q26. We replicate the discovery of the complement factor H (CFH) gene on 1q31 and identify a novel locus, harboring three closely linked genes (PLEKHA1, LOC387715, and HTRA1), on 10q26. Both discoveries have been widely replicated. In the next paper I present meta-analysis of 11 CFH and 5 LOC387715 data sets. We also replicate these findings in two independent case-control cohorts, including one cohort, where ARM status was not a factor in the ascertainment. In the third paper we replicate discoveries of new complement related loci (C2 and CFB) on chromosome 19p13 as well as developing classification models based on SNPs from CFH, LOC387715, and C2. The last paper focuses on applying statistical techniques from the diagnostic medicine literature to ARM. We comment on the importance of understanding the difference and similarities between different goals of genetic studies: improving etiological understanding or finding variants that discriminate well between cases and controls. This work is particularly relevant today when there has been explosion in the availability of direct-to-consumer DNA tests.In addition to carrying out linkage and association analysis, I also have extended the statistical theory behind score-based linkage analyses for X chromosomal markers. This work has public health relevance because many complex common diseases have sex-specific differences, such as prevalence and age of onset. Modeling those appropriately with powerful and robust methods will bring an improved understanding of their genetic basis

Samfélagsþátttaka einhverfra barna: viðhorf foreldra

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked FilesÞessi samanburður á samfélagsþátttöku barna á einhverfurófi og jafnaldra þeirra er hluti rannsóknarinnar Lífsgæði, þátttaka og umhverfi barna sem búsett eru á Íslandi. Eftirfarandi spurningar voru hafðar að leiðarljósi: 1) Hversu ánægðir eru foreldrar einhverfra barna með samfélagsþátttöku barna sinna samanborið við aðra foreldra? 2) Hvaða breytingar vilja foreldrar einhverfra barna sjá á samfélagsþátttöku barna sinna samanborið við aðra foreldra? og 3) Hvernig stuðla foreldrar að samfélagsþátttöku barna sinna? Alls tóku þátt foreldrar 99 einhverfra barna og foreldrar 241 barns í samanburðarhópi. Rannsóknarsniðið var blandað. Munur á ánægju foreldra var skoðaður með Mann - Whitney prófum og áhrifastærðum. Lýsandi tölfræði var notuð til að skoða óskir foreldra um breytingu á þátttöku barna sinna. Aðferðir foreldra við að stuðla að samfélagsþátttöku barnanna voru flokkaðar út frá einkennum í Atlas.ti og greindar í sex þemu. Foreldrar einhverfra barna reyndust óánægðari með þátttöku barna sinna en foreldrar í samanburðarhópi og átti það við um allar athafnir sem spurt var um. Þeir foreldrar sem óskuðu breytinga vildu helst að börn þeirra tækju oftar þátt, þá að hlutdeild þeirra væri meiri og svo að þau tækju þátt í fjölbreyttari athöfnum. Foreldrar í báðum hópum notuðu sömu meginleiðir til að stuðla að þátttöku barna sinna í samfélaginu en foreldrar einhverfra barna lýstu sértækari aðferðum. Mikilvægt er að leita fjölbreyttra leiða til að auka samfélagsþátttöku einhverfra barna í takt við aðstæður, óskir og þarfir hvers barns og fjölskyldu þess.This study on community participation of children with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a part of a larger research project Quality of life, participation and environment of children living in Iceland. The study was designed to answer the following research questions: 1) the extent to which parents of children with and without ASD wanted to see changes in their children’s participation in the community?; 2) what kind of changes parents of children with and without ASD wanted to see in their children’s participation in the community?; and 3) what kind of strategies parents use to help their children participate in their communities. The research utilized a mixed-methods design. The Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth (PEM-CY) was used to gather online survey and qualitative data from parents of 99 high-functioning children with ASD and 241 children without ASD. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to explore differences between groups on parents’ desire for change and effect sizes were calculated and evaluated by Cohen’s d. Parents of children with ASD were less satisfied with their child’s participation, based on their overall desire for change ((U) = -7,654, p = 0,001). Effect size comparing the magnitude of differences was large (1.02). Parents in both groups reported most often that they wanted their children to participate more frequently, then to be more involved while participating and in more diverse activities. The type of change parents considered was needed varied between groups. Higher percentage of parents of children without ASD wanted theirchildren to participate more often in activities while parents of children with ASD wanted their children to be more involved and participate in more diverse activities in the community. The qualitative analyses revealed that parents in both groups utilized similar strategies to facilitate their children’s participation in their communities. Nevertheless parents of children with ASD were more specific in their descriptions, and also made use of more distinct strategies. Our results provide an understanding of the complexities of participation within different environments. The results also point to how occupational therapists and other practitioners can support families in their efforts to promote their child’s participation in the community.Rannsóknarsjóður Háskólans á Akureyri, Rannsóknarsjóður Háskóla Ísland

Will present day glacier retreat increase volcanic activity? Stress induced by recent glacier retreat and its effect on magmatism at the Vatnajokull ice cap, Iceland

Global warming causes retreat of ice caps and ice sheets. Can melting glaciers trigger increased volcanic activity? Since 1890 the largest ice cap of Iceland, Vatnajokull, with an area of similar to 8000 km(2), has been continuously retreating losing about 10% of its mass during last century. Present-day uplift around the ice cap is as high as 25 mm/yr. We evaluate interactions between ongoing glacio-isostasy and current changes to mantle melting and crustal stresses at volcanoes underneath Vatnajokull. The modeling indicates that a substantial volume of new magma, similar to 0.014 km(3)/yr, is produced under Vatnajokull in response to current ice thinning. Ice retreat also induces significant stress changes in the elastic crust that may contribute to high seismicity, unusual focal mechanisms, and unusual magma movements in NW-Vatnajokull

Conclusions

Peer reviewe

Cognitive behavioural group therapy for social phobia: Effectiveness study at the Icelandic Center for Treatment of Anxiety Disorders

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/Open Allur texti - Full textCognitive behavioural group therapy for social phobia has been practiced for some years at The Icelandic Center for Treatment of Anxiety Disorders. In this study, data from 102 participants from 2007 to 2010 were analyzed. The effectiveness of the treatment was evaluated on scales that measure social phobia (social interaction anxiety and performance anxiety), depression and quality of life at the beginning and end of treatment. Post-treatment gains were statistically significant on all scales; social interaction and performance anxiety decreased along with depressive symptoms and quality of life increased. Effect sizes were large on measurements of social phobia (d = 1.46 and d = 1.21), depression (d = 0.81) and moderate in measurements of quality of life (d = 0.52). Finally, clinically significant and reliable changes were evaluated. On scales that measure social interaction anxiety 81.2% of participants reached either a score comparable to a non-clinical sample or the change for the better was reliable. These figures were 79.0% for performance anxiety, 78.5% for depression and 40.9% for quality of life.Hugræn atferlismeðferð í hóp við félagsfælni hefur verið veitt við Kvíðameðferðarstöðina undanfarin ár. Tekin voru saman gögn frá árunum 2007-2010, alls 102 þátttakendur. Borin voru saman skor þátttakenda við upphaf og lok meðferðar á spurningalistum sem meta félagskvíða (samskipta- og frammistöðukvíða), þunglyndi og lífsgæði. Munurinn við upphaf og lok meðferðar mældist í öllum tilfellum marktækur. Það dró marktækt úr samskipta- og frammistöðukvíða og þunglyndiseinkennum og lífsgæði þátttakenda jukust. Reiknaðar voru áhrifastærðir (effect sizes) fyrir mun á meðalskorum þátttakenda við upphaf og lok meðferðar og bentu þær til að meðferðin hafi haft mikil áhrif á samskipta- og frammistöðukvíða (d = 1,46 og d = 1,21) og þunglyndiseinkenni (d = 0,81). Áhrifin voru miðlungsmikil á lífsgæði þátttakenda (d = 0,52). Að lokum var metið hvort meðferðin hefði leitt til klínískt marktækra og/eða áreiðanlegra breytinga. Á lista sem metur samskiptakvíða náðu 81,2% þátttakenda annað hvort sambærilegu skori og almenningur eða áreiðanlegum breytingum til batnaðar. Hlutfallið mældist 79,0% fyrir frammistöðukvíða, 78,5% fyrir þunglyndi og 40,9% fyrir lífsgæði

Anthropogenic and natural ground deformation in the Hengill geothermal area, Iceland

We investigate crustal deformation due to the extraction of water and steam from a high-enthalpy geothermal reservoir; a common occurrence, yet not well understood. The cause of this deformation can be a change in pressure or in temperature in the reservoir, both of which can be caused by extraction or injection of geothermal fluids. Our study area, the Hengill mountains in SW Iceland, is an active volcanic center and a plate triple junction that hosts two power plants producing geothermal energy. This combination of natural and anthropogenic processes causes a complex displacement field at the surface. We analyze geodetic data—Global Navigation Satellite System and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar—to obtain the surface velocity field, which we then simulate using an inverse modeling approach. We focus on the deformation around the geothermal power plants but need to model the regional tectonic and volcanic deformation as well, because the signals are overlapping. We find that plate motion and a deep contracting body can explain the broad scale signal in the area. Local deformation near the two power plants, Hellisheidi and Nesjavellir, can be explained by extraction of geothermal fluids. We estimate reservoirs extending from 0.6 to 3.0 km depth at Hellisheidi, and 1.0 to 3.0 km depth at Nesjavellir for observed pressure decrease rates of 0.25 MPa/yr and 0.1 MPa/yr, respectively. We find that the main cause for the subsidence in the geothermal area is the observed pressure drawdown

Sköpunarsmiðjur í menntun ungra barna: Reynsla og viðhorf starfsfólks skóla, safna og sköpunarsmiðja

Í þessari grein er fjallað um þekkingu, reynslu og viðhorf til sköpunarsmiðja (e. makerspaces) meðal kennara ungra barna (3-8 ára) í leik- og grunnskólum, fagfólks á söfnum og í sköpunarsmiðjum. Upplýsingum var safnað með rafrænni könnun í tengslum við Evrópuverkefnið MakEY (e. Makerspaces in the early years: Enhancing digital literacy and creativity)1 sem er samstarfsverkefni fjölmargra háskóla og stofnana innan Evrópu og utan. Nokkrar íslenskar stofnanir tóku þátt í verkefninu.2 Gögnum var safnað meðal áðurnefndra hópa sumarið 2017 (n=254).3 Í ljós kom að minnihluti kennara (17%) en meirihluti safnafólks (72%) hafði áður heyrt um hugtakið. Um 28% safnafólks hafði reynslu af að nota slík rými og 13% höfðu skipulagt sköpunarsmiðjur en sambærilegar tölur hjá kennurum voru eingöngu 15 og 7%. Um helmingur kennara og safnafólks taldi gott aðgengi á sínum vinnustöðum varðandi vélbúnað til að búa til stafrænar afurðir. Álíka algengt var að hentug rými væru til staðar hjá kennurum og rúmur þriðjungur safnafólks sagði gott aðgengi að forritunarbúnaði. Aðgangur að verkfærasettum sem hentuðu í samþættum verkefnum var til staðar hjá mun færri og aðgangur að þrívíddarprenturum eða geislaskerum var fátíður. Áhugi var hjá stórum hluta safnafólks og kennara á þjálfun eða námskeiðum í tengslum við sköpunarsmiðjur og meirihluti svarenda (73% kennara og 60% safnafólks) taldi sköpunarsmiðjur samrýmast vel sýn sinni á nám og kennslu. Sköpunarsmiðjur geta gegnt lykilhlutverki í mótun menntunar á Íslandi í því tæknilega landslagi sem er í stöðugri þróun, þar sem stafrænt læsi, „germenning“ (e. makerculture) og forritunarhæfni leika aðalhlutverk ásamt faglegri starfsþróun þeirra sem mennta börn og styðja við nám þeirra og þroska. MakEY verkefnið og fræðilegt framlag þess er mikilvægt innlegg þar sem leitast er við að skoða stöðuna á byrjunarreit.Peer reviewe