Growth and Decline of Second Life as an Educational Platform

Second Life, a 3D online immersive virtual environment, emerged in 2003 and was predicted to become the predominant online course delivery platform by 2013. Educational institutions initially rushed to create a presence in the Second Life; however, after 2009 those same institutions were disappointed by their experiences and deserted the virtual world. This study sought to uncover the reasons for the rapid decline of such a highly lauded educational platform. Using a mixed methods research design, utilizing a qualitative phenomenology with in-depth personal interviews of higher education administrators followed by a detailed quantitative survey instrument, the researcher was able to explain the reasons the platform did not become a mainstream course delivery method. Students reported dissatisfaction with graphical quality and hardware issues, perceived lack of relevance, and usability issues. Instructors reported dissatisfaction with hardware issues, time issues, student acceptance, the lack of a clear reward system, especially with tenure and promotion and technical support issues. Instructional designers reported dissatisfaction with hardware issues, stakeholder engagement and interest, pedagogical value, time issues, and technical support issues. The findings provided insights for higher education administrators when considering the use of emerging technology for teaching and learning. For innovative educational solutions to be effective administrators should provide sufficient technological resources, improve stakeholder engagement and interest by providing better training and more personal attention to users, allow innovative efforts by faculty to be rewarded through the tenure and promotion process, improve their own attitude and buy-in surrounding the use of emerging technology for educational and learning activity delivery, and become more patient with commercially available software to allow for improvements to occur organically

Tai Chi and Stress Reduction in Premedical Students

A randomized, controlled pilot study was performed to determine the correlation between the practice of Tai Chi exercise and anxiety scores, among full-time pre-med undergraduate students who reside in college campus housing. The sample (N = 14) was recruited from 70 pre-med students enrolled at Lake Erie College (LEC) located in Painesville, Ohio. Participants included: (a) full-time LEC pre-med students; (b) between 18 and 25 years old; and (c) residents of either on-campus housing or within two miles of the college campus. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: (a) Tai Chi (n = 8); (b) control (n = 6). The Tai Chi group received instruction from a certified instructor, three times a week for five weeks. The control group received no training. Both groups completed a basic health history questionnaire including blood pressure and pulse measurements, maintained a physical activity log, and completed a pre and post measure of anxiety using the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)© scale. The p-value of .334 between pre-study control and Tai Chi groups was greater than the alpha level at 0.05. The p-value of .101 between post-study control and Tai Chi groups was greater than the alpha level at 0.05. The small sample size of this pilot limited the generalizability of this study. Therefore, there was insufficient evidence to conclude that the true mean anxiety change between the pre-test and post-test in pre-med students taking Tai Chi was greater than the true mean anxiety change between the pre-test and post-test in pre-med students maintaining normal daily activities. However, this was a small pilot study, and research suggests the anxiety lowering effects of Tai Chi, therefore this research will be expanded for a multi-center study.https://fuse.franklin.edu/ss2014/1040/thumbnail.jp

Lost conversations: finding new ways for black and white Australians to lead together

It\u27s time for a game-changer in how black and white Australians relate.   The difficulties we have in coming together—to talk, to work, to lead change—are core to our challenge to reconcile, as a country. But if we want to shift the status quo, if we want to lead change on entrenched Indigenous disadvantage, we don\u27t need another program, initiative or money to try and \u27fix\u27 the problem. We need to start having a different conversation.  The result of two years experience working together as part of a Social Leadership Australia initiative, Lost Conversations brings together the diverse perspectives and personal stories of five Aboriginal and four non-Indigenous authors, all with first-hand knowledge of what happens when black and white Australians come together to try and work on change.  Lost Conversations asks the questions and starts the conversations that we daren\u27t have in Australia ... until now:  What is \u27black\u27 power? What is \u27white\u27 power?  What qualifies someone to lead in this cross-cultural space?  Why is this so hard to talk about?  Can we start to name these things and try to shift the status quo?  Can we change?  Should we?  &nbsp

The UK myotonic dystrophy patient registry: facilitating and accelerating clinical research

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is the most frequent muscular dystrophy worldwide with complex, multi-systemic, and progressively worsening symptoms. There is currently no treatment for this inherited disorder and research can be challenging due to the rarity and variability of the disease. The UK Myotonic Dystrophy Patient Registry is a patient self-enrolling online database collecting clinical and genetic information. For this cross-sectional “snapshot” analysis, 556 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of DM1 registered between May 2012 and July 2016 were included. An almost even distribution was seen between genders and a broad range of ages was present from 8 months to 78 years, with the largest proportion between 30 and 59 years. The two most frequent symptoms were fatigue and myotonia, reported by 79 and 78% of patients, respectively. The severity of myotonia correlated with the severity of fatigue as well as mobility impairment, and dysphagia occurred mostly in patients also reporting myotonia. Men reported significantly more frequent severe myotonia, whereas severe fatigue was more frequently reported by women. Cardiac abnormalities were diagnosed in 48% of patients and more than one-third of them needed a cardiac implant. Fifteen percent of patients used a non-invasive ventilation and cataracts were removed in 26% of patients, 65% of which before the age of 50 years. The registry’s primary aim was to facilitate and accelerate clinical research. However, these data also allow us to formulate questions for hypothesis-driven research that may lead to improvements in care and treatment

Grassland Bird Nest Survival in Perennial Agroenergy Crops

Previous research had been done in 2011 and 2012 regarding bird nest survival rates in the Cedar River Natural Resource Area in Washburn, IA. Further analysis of bird nest survival rates was done in this study to research how nest age, calendar date, soil type, and vegetation type influence the success or failure of these nests. New nests were identified in the prairie plots of the Cedar River Natural Resource Area and added to the previous sample size from the original study. A sample size of 97 bird nests total and 67 Dickcissel nests –SPAM (Spiza Americana) were used. The new nests were checked every 3-4 days and a fail or success was noted. The data was then analyzed using R statistical analysis to calculate correct logistic exposure models. The results for all nests showed that success was influenced by the nest age. A new nest had a 10% lower chance of success than an older nest. For all nests, the calendar date with which the nest was laid also influenced the successfulness. Nests laid in early may had a higher chance of surviving than nests laid in late season. Soil type and vegetation effects differed from all nests and the Dickcissel nest samples. However, for both sample sizes there was a much higher chance of success in 2011 than 2012 with the nests in the biomass vegetation mix having a better chance of survival than only grass

Ground Arthropod Abundance in Switchgrass and Diverse Prairie Agroenergy Crops

The University of Northern Iowa’s Tallgrass Prairie Center converted corn and soybean fields in the Cedar River Natural Resource Area to four mixes of perennial tallgrass prairie species. Research plots were randomly seeded with one of four treatments of native prairie vegetation including a switchgrass monoculture and a 32-species prairie mix. We studied ground arthropod abundance in Switchgrass and the 32-species prairie mix at various distances from the nearest woody edge using pitfall traps. We hypothesized that a 32-species Prairie mix would support greater numbers of ground arthropods than a Switchgrass monoculture and that ground arthropod abundance would be greater in traps set closer to a woody edge. Our results indicated little difference in arthropod abundance between the Switchgrass and Prairie plots. Arachnid captures were greater nearer to a woody edge, but catch rates of other arthropods studied did not vary with distance from a woody edge

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Engagement

While family engagement professionals are accustomed to engaging a remote population with high expectations, the COVID-19 pandemic brought challenges, opportunities for innovation, and even higher expectations from families. This article is a collection of experiences from four family engagement colleagues in which the authors spotlight the experiences of families throughout the pandemic, the impact of the pandemic on family engagement, and how this period of time may impact institutional approach to family engagement going forward

Children’s Online Privacy: An Overview of How Young People Use Social Media and How Lawmakers Seek to Better Protect and Empower Families Online

In the Spring of 2022, the Gator TeamChild Juvenile Law Clinic at the University of Florida Levin College of Law explored how the United States attempts to protect children’s privacy online. Through this exploration, interns studied current legislation aimed at regulating online platforms, met with a lawmaker trying to update COPPA, and collaborated with advanced students in other disciplines exploring the changing nature of social networking. Clinic interns reviewed pending bills in the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate that aim to improve outcomes for children and teens who utilize online platforms. Clinic interns also examined international approaches to online safety and privacy. What follows is a report outlining the Clinic’s findings