Creating digital self-reflective frameworks to encourage learner autonomy in post-graduate courses

The almost universal acceptance of constructivist views of education has firmly placed the learner at the centre of the teaching and learning experience. This acceptance has required educationalists to critically review existing educational strategies, techniques, methods and beliefs. Learner autonomy, the ability to take charge of one's own learning, is based on the concept that learners have the capabilities to reflect on their current skills and identify areas of development. Interactive self-reflective frameworks enable learners to firstly, make independent and informed decisions about their learning needs and secondly, establish a personalised learning plan to address the needs identified. This paper explores how the development and implementation of a digital self-reflective framework for post-graduate study in transdisciplinary education contributes to wider acceptance of the conceptions of learner autonomy

Personalisation of learning and reflective frameworks: Example from an industry-focused, post-graduate transdisciplinary degree

The New Zealand government has determined strategies to encourage research-driven innovation which include close collaboration between industry and the academic communities. In response to such direction, the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) has developed a set of research-based, transdisciplinary qualifications grounded in real-world industry contexts. To assist learners in undertaking successful research inquiry, the transdisciplinary curriculum development team has developed an online training needs analysis instrument that enables learners to identify their readiness to undertake transdisciplinary research. The training needs analysis tool is supported by a reflective framework which assists the learner to self-reflect upon their levels of skills and knowledge against internationally-accepted standards. The intention of such tools is to enable the learner to commence the process of self-empowerment within the learning environment

An exploration of strategies used by dressage horses to control moments around the center of mass when performing passage

Background Locomotion results from the generation of ground reaction forces (GRF) that cause translations of the center of mass (COM) and generate moments that rotate the body around the COM. The trot is a diagonally-synchronized gait performed by horses at intermediate locomotor speeds. Passage is a variant of the trot performed by highly-trained dressage horses. It is distinguished from trot by having a slow speed of progression combined with great animation of the limbs in the swing phase. The slow speed of passage challenges the horse’s ability to control the sagittal-plane moments around the COM. Footfall patterns and peak GRF are known to differ between passage and trot, but their effects on balance management, which we define here as the ability to control nose-up/nose-down pitching moments around the horse’s COM to maintain a state of equilibrium, are not known. The objective was to investigate which biomechanical variables influence pitching moments around the COM in passage. Methods Three highly-trained dressage horses were captured by a 10-camera motion analysis system (120 Hz) as they were ridden in passage over four force platforms (960 Hz). A full-body marker set was used to track the horse’s COM and measure balance variables including total body center of pressure (COP), pitching moments, diagonal dissociation timing, peak force production, limb protraction–retraction, and trunk posture. A total of twenty passage steps were extracted and partial correlation (accounting for horse) was used to investigate significant (P < 0.05) relationships between variables. Results Hindlimb mean protraction–retraction correlated significantly with peak hindlimb propulsive forces (R = 0.821; P < 0.01), mean pitching moments (R = 0.546, P = 0.016), trunk range of motion, COM craniocaudal location and diagonal dissociation time (P < 0.05). Discussion Pitching moments around the COM were controlled by a combination of kinematic and kinetic adjustments that involve coordinated changes in GRF magnitudes, GRF distribution between the diagonal limb pairs, and the moment arms of the vertical GRFs. The moment arms depend on hoof placements relative to the COM, which were adjusted by changing limb protraction–retraction angles. Nose-up pitching moments could also be increased by providing a larger hindlimb propulsive GRF

The role of biomechanical analysis of horse and rider in equitation science

Equestrian sports are unique in that they involve the participation of two athletes that differ greatly in morphology yet are able to move together harmoniously; experienced riders not only move in phase with the horse, they can even improve the consistency of the horse’s movements. The motion of the horse imposes perturbations on the rider that differ in magnitude and direction according to gait. In faster gaits where suspension phases are present, the rider must accommodate greater vertical and horizontal accelerations of the horse’s trunk through three-dimensional movements of their axial body segments. The rider, in turn, can improve the horse’s performance through correct training, or cause it to deteriorate through faults in the rider’s position or incorrect application of the aids. This review addresses the current state of knowledge of the biomechanics of the horse-rider interaction, with reference to the ways in which the emerging field of equitation science can help to improve equine welfare by enhancing rider awareness of horse behaviour and movement, as well as the impact of the rider on the horse

Designing e-learning environments to encourage learner autonomy: Creating a framework for development

Foreign language learning has been increasingly influenced by constructivist approaches to learning and teaching. These approaches, placing the learner at the centre of the teaching and learning experience, requires educationalists to critically review existing teaching strategies, techniques, methods and beliefs. For Japanese medical professionals English has become increasingly important. There is growing need for these professionals to understand and use English at conferences and/or workshops, to keep up to date with medical processes and procedures published in Western medical journals and there are ever increasing opportunities to communicate with other medical staff and patients in English. However, the curricula at medical schools in Japan are so extensive that the time allocated for English classes is usually very limited, which means those classes often do not have the depth or scope to improve the English communication skills of medical students to the level necessary for their future career. This paper explores the development of a design framework that provides learners with the motivation and skills to access learning materials independent of time-tabled study. It outlines how the authors integrated a self-reflective framework and micro-credential / badge ecosystem in the learner centric courses created. It illustrates how this design framework was implemented in a medical terminology course

English language learning & MEEPLE: Micro-credentialing Ecosystems Enabling Personal Learning Environments

The use of English has become increasingly important for Japanese medical professionals. This presentation reviewed strategies and techniques that first, helped learners identify and engage with the suitable level of information and in appropriate level of activities. Secondly, encouraged learners to engage with the review materials identified and participate autonomously in practice activities

Posture flexibility and grip strength in horse riders

Since the ability to train the horse to be ambidextrous is considered highly desirable, rider asymmetry is recognized as a negative trait. Acquired postural and functional asymmetry can originate from numerous anatomical regions, so it is difficult to suggest if any is developed due to riding. The aim of this study was therefore to assess symmetry of posture, strength and flexibility in a large population of riders and to determine whether typical traits exist due to riding. 127 right handed riders from the UK and USA were categorized according to years riding (in 20 year increments) and their competition level (using affiliated test levels). Leg length, grip strength and spinal posture were measured and recorded by a physiotherapist. Standing and sitting posture and trunk flexibility were measured with 3-D motion capture technology. Right-left differences were explored in relation to years riding and rider competitive experience. Significant anatomical asymmetry was found for the difference in standing acromion process height for a competition level (-0.07±1.50 cm Intro/Prelim; 0.02±1.31 cm Novice; 0.43±1.27 cm Elementary+; p=0.048) and for sitting iliac crest height for years riding (-0.23±1.36 cm Intro/Prelim; 0.01±1.50 cm Novice; 0.86±0.41 cm Elementary+;p=0.021). For functional asymmetry, a significant interaction was found for lateral bending ROM for years riding x competition level (p=0.047). The demands on dressage riders competing at higher levels may predispose these riders to a higher risk of developing asymmetry and potentially chronic back pain rather than improving their symmetry

Verbal task demands are key in explaining the relationship between paired-associate learning and reading ability

Paired-associate learning (PAL) tasks measure the ability to form a novel association between a stimulus and a response. Performance on such tasks is strongly associated with reading ability, and there is increasing evidence that verbal task demands may be critical in explaining this relationship. The current study investigated the relationships between different forms of PAL and reading ability. A total of 97 children aged 8–10 years completed a battery of reading assessments and six different PAL tasks (phoneme–phoneme, visual–phoneme, nonverbal–nonverbal, visual–nonverbal, nonword–nonword, and visual–nonword) involving both familiar phonemes and unfamiliar nonwords. A latent variable path model showed that PAL ability is captured by two correlated latent variables: auditory–articulatory and visual–articulatory. The auditory–articulatory latent variable was the stronger predictor of reading ability, providing support for a verbal account of the PAL–reading relationship