Using Oracle to Augment the Information Systems Curriculum

Oracle Corporation makes its software products available to educational institutions at minimal cost. This tutorial explores options for procuring, installing, and administering an Oracle client/server database in an academic setting, and describes how the Oracle software can be used in specific areas in the information systems curriculum. It also presents results of a survey investigating how IS instructors currently use Oracle, and describes the benefits and challenges they are experiencing

WALK ON - From Richard Long to Janet Cardiff - 40 years of Art Walking

This is the first exhibition to examine the many and varied ways in which artists since the late 1960s have used what would seem like a universal act – that of taking a walk – as a means to create new types of art. ‘Walk On’ includes photography, film, and installation works, bringing together a diverse group of artists inspired by their travels on foot. It offers an as-yet-unwritten history of a major strand of recent art practice. It argues that from land art and conceptual art, and from street photography to the essay-film, an exceptionally wide range of first-rate artists have created their work from the act of walking, in the city or the land

Number structure in learner workbooks

This paper reports on the extent to which different representational modes in current learner workbooks conceptually signal the structuring of number (especially base-ten thinking) which research shows to be vital for learners to shift from counting to calculating strategies. Tasks contained in two learner workbooks currently used in Grade 1 classrooms across South Africa, i.e. DBE and Bala Wande, were contrasted in light of the conceptual signalling contained in the representations used. Analysis of these workbooks showed that the Bala Wande workbooks had more explicit conceptual signalling for working with number structure, which helps to address the wide-spread use of counting strategies that underpin poor learner attainment on the ground

Performance of a building integrated photovoltaic/thermal (BIPVT) solar collector

The idea of combining photovoltaic and solar thermal collectors (PVT collectors) to provide electrical and heat energy is an area that has, until recently, received only limited attention. Although PVTs are not as prevalent as solar thermal systems, the integration of photovoltaic and solar thermal collectors into the walls or roofing structure of a building could provide greater opportunity for the use of renewable solar energy technologies. In this study, the design of a novel building integrated photovoltaic/thermal (BIPVT) solar collector was theoretically analysed through the use of a modified Hottel–Whillier model and was validated with experimental data from testing on a prototype BIPVT collector. The results showed that key design parameters such as the fin efficiency, the thermal conductivity between the PV cells and their supporting structure, and the lamination method had a significant influence on both the electrical and thermal efficiency of the BIPVT. Furthermore, it was shown that the BIPVT could be made of lower cost materials, such as pre-coated colour steel, without significant decreases in efficiency. Finally, it was shown that by integrating the BIPVT into the building rather than onto the building could result in a lower cost system. This was illustrated by the finding that insulating the rear of the BIPVT may be unnecessary when it is integrated into a roof above an enclosed air filled attic, as this air space acts as a passive insulating barrier

The psychology of counterfactual thinking

'Kontrafaktisches Denken bezeichnet die mentale Konstruktion von Alternativen zu vergangenen Ereignissen. Dieser Artikel soll einen Überblick über die psychologischen Grundlagen kontrafaktischen Denkens gewähren. Die Autoren zeigen wie solche Gedanken bestimmte Emotionen wecken und uns im alltäglichen Leben zum Vorteil gereichen können. Zwei bestimmte psychologische Mechanismen - der contrast und der causal inference effect - erklären viele der von Psychologen beobachteten Effekte kontrafaktischen Denkens. Abschließend zeigen sie, wie und warum kontrafaktische Alternativen sowohl in erklärenden wie auch in fiktionalen Zusammenhängen (z.B. in der alternate history) eindringlich und unterhaltsam sein können.' (Autorenreferat)'Counterfactual thinking refers to mental constructions of alternatives to past events. In this overview of the psychological basis of counterfactual thinking, the authors examine how such thoughts influence emotions and carry benefits for everyday behavior. Two psychological mechanisms, contrast effects and causal inferences, can explain many of the effects of counterfactual thinking reported by psychologists. They then consider how counterfactuals, when used within expository but also fictional narratives (for example, in alternative histories), might be persuasive and entertaining.' (author's abstract

Assessing Levels of Stigma and Accessing Mental Health Services

Assessing Levels of Stigma and Accessing Mental Health Services Post-secondary students report high levels of anxiety and depression along with a host of other mental health issues (Fink, 2014). The present study focused on predictors of use of counselling services as well as strategies that would make the service easier to use by undergraduate students. Theoretical rationale included Astin’s Input-Environment-Outcome (I-E-O) (Fink, 2014), Theory of Planned Behaviour (Marsh, 2011), and Self-Regulatory Model (Oexle, 2015). The sample included 153 male and female students at a large research intensive university in Ontario. Participants ranged from ages 18-24 who completed the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Mood and Anxiety Symptomology Questionnaire, and the Discrimination and Stigma Scale, along with closed-ended and open-ended questions regarding their use of the phone support line Good2Talk and other in-person counselling supports on campus. There was a significant interaction between utilizing Good2Talk for depression (M= .62, SD= .487), and using a text-messaging component (M= .60, SD= .491); t(151)=2.37,

Measuring Kruger visitors’ place attachment to specific camps

Tourists become emotionally, physically and socially attached to national parks as they become familiar with the park’s settings and endow it with value. Researchers have pointed out that place attachment leads to environmentally responsible behaviour and higher levels of visitor satisfaction. Therefore, increasing the level of attachment that visitors feel is vital for park and camp managers, and to do so a greater understanding of the various dimensions of it is needed. While attachment to parks has been evaluated previously, attachment to specific camps in parks has not been done. The main purpose of this research study was to measure the extent to which visitors to the Tamboti and Satara camps in the Kruger National Park feel attached to these camps. We also determined whether differences exist between visitors in terms of the level of attachment that they experience towards these camps. Finally, we established the variables that influence place attachment. A self-administered paper-based questionnaire was distributed to visitors to the Tamboti and Satara camps, with 201 questionnaires completed. The results show that visitors generally have a neutral feeling towards the camps. Furthermore, the differences in visitors’ levels of attachment could be attributed to their nationality, wild card membership and frequency of visits. Various managerial implications are drawn and recommendations made on how to increase place attachment to these camps. Conservation implications: This results indicate that visitors do not show particularly strong attachment towards Tamboti and Satara. Recommendations are given for camp managers to increase place attachment to the camps. If camp managers can succeed in fostering stronger levels of attachment to these camps, visitors are more likely to display environmentally responsible behaviour in the camps, with positive conservation implications

Twitter: More than Tweets for Undergraduate Student Researchers

During the COVID-19 pandemic, biology educators were forced to think of ways to communicate with their students, engaging them in science and with the scientific community. For educators using course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), the challenge to have students perform real science, analyze their work, and present their results to a larger scientific audience was difficult as the world moved online. Many instructors were able to adapt CUREs utilizing online data analysis and virtual meeting software for class discussions and synchronous learning. However, interaction with the larger scientific community, an integral component of making science relevant for students and allowing them to network with other young scientists and experts in their fields, was still missing. Even before COVID-19, a subset of students would travel to regional or national meetings to present their work, but most did not have these opportunities. With over 300 million active users, Twitter provided a unique platform for students to present their work to a large and varied audience. The Cell Biology Education Consortium hosted an innovative scientific poster session entirely on Twitter to engage undergraduate researchers with one another and with the much broader community. The format for posting on this popular social media platform challenged students to simplify their science and make their points using only a few words and slides. Nineteen institutions and over one hundred students participated in this event. Even though these practices emerged as a necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Twitter presentation strategy shared in this paper can be used widely